Refinement at The Peninsula Hong Kong

What is refinement? Staying at The Peninsula Hong Kong provided insights on how this iconic hotel achieves it.

While there are luxury hotel brands that can be proud of excellent service, Peninsula goes beyond, mostly by developing and employing technology in novel ways, in some ways never noticed by guests, as well as the old fashioned way, by understanding what guests want and providing it — better than most.

Rooms are beautifully designed and proportioned. But the novelty is the use of push button wall panels for controlling lights, setting privacy alerts, advising if you have any messages, checking the weather in centigrade or Fahrenheit, and setting your language of preference. Unlike some hotels where you might feel you wish a user’s manual was provided, The Peninsula custom designed the technology to be visual and user friendly.

Bedside, tablet devices provide master controls for the room including lighting throughout the room, room temperature, room service, spa and other services, and the in-room entertainment system– TV, radio and complimentary in-room movies. Nail dryers are also included. By the way, WiFi is complimentary and excellent. On top of which there’s no need to bring an electric converter as both 120 and 220v is provided and you can just plug in your device, as well as USB connectors. Free international phone calls, too, by simply pressing the VOIP button on the phone.

While a coffee-espresso-tea maker in the room isn’t novel, The Peninsula has a water line hooked up to theirs so that one doesn’t have to fill up a container with water and, as so often occurs, make a mess of it. Thoughtful. Not only are coffee mugs provided, but for tea drinkers, porcelain tea cups and a teapot are provided. Carpeting throughout the hotels is of exquisite quality and speaks to the quality shown in every aspect of the hotel. I wasn’t surprised to learn the company owns it’s own carpet company in Hong Kong. Public areas are comfortable and luxurious, including a fabulous indoor pool on the 8th floor.

It’s not just guests the brand takes into account. Housekeeping staff have remote controls to raise the heavy mattresses that offer such a comfortable sleep, to make it easier for staff to change the bedding. Now that’s taking care of your staff.

Cuisine at The Peninsula Hong Kong is exquisite, and the Swiss Executive chef has been with the company for more than two decades. A back of house tour of the kitchens unveiled a dedicated chocolate kitchen — and it’s not just any chocolate made here — it’s exquisite. And what about food waste? There’s new equipment that pulverizes food waste into water, minimizing landfill waste.

For now, however, I’ll savor relaxing in my comfortable armchair, put my feet up on the ottoman, and enjoy the view of the harbor, and watch the slow traffic on the waterways as the morning haze begins to clear and the outlines of Hong Kong Island’s skyscrapers come into clearer view.

There aren’t many hotels that offer Rolls Royce airport transfers (there are three), or have their own heli-pad and can provide a stunning opportunity to see Hong Kong from a bird’s eye view, and arrange for a quick airport transfer.

Now that’s refinement. The Peninsula Hong Kong provides a fusion between East and West, and between the traditional and modern.

Better still, as one of our featured Signature hotels, our guests enjoy complimentary daily breakfast and a $100 resort credit, plus room upgrade (subject to availability).

Contact Dan Ilves to learn more about TravelStore’s fantastic custom travel options and to begin planning your trip to China!