Hyatt Regency Hongkong returns to the city’s hotel scene, treading the delicate balance between restoring the familiar and offering a fresh new product. It completes the trio of Hyatt properties in Hongkong, joning the Grand Hyatt Hongkong in Wanchai and Hyatt Regency Hongkong Shatin, which opened earlier this year.
The Tsimshatsui landmark closed down in 2006 after 37 years, and its re-opening has been a much-awaited event by a host of loyal fans. At 11.30 today in fact (the auspicious time set by feng shui), the hotel will be welcoming three guests, who combined, racked up 100 years’ worth of stays in the old property.
General manager Xavier Pech told Business Traveller great efforts were made “to bring a new feel to familiar concepts especially in F&B”.
Hugo’s, a byword in Hongkong haute cuisine, will again be offering classic European cuisine under the auspices of its fictional Bavarian host and namesake, Hugo Ludwig Wilhelm von Gluckenstein. Former habitues will recognise the heavy pine doors at the entrance reclaimed from the original Hugo’s. The reincarnation, however, boasts a brighter feel with floor-to-ceiling windows and a high-pitched and beamed ceiling. An array of traditional serving apparatus, including two remodeled walnut wood Christofle hors d’oeuvres trolleys from the 1960s and the concept of table-side preparation for dishes such as Caesar Salad, Lobster Bisque, Steak Tartare, Cherries Jubilee and Cafe Diablo will heighten the sense of nostalgia.
Deja vu continues in The Chinese Restaurant with Chef Lo – who was at the helm at the former hotel, serving up a host of old favourites: papaya soup, crispy chicken and barbecued meats – the Chin Chin Bar, with its backdrop of stacked Chinese cupboards recreated. Both outlets will still be opening in December.
The hotel's 381 rooms and suites feature vantage views over Victoria Harbour, Hongkong Island and Kowloon. Business travellers will find their niche in the Regency Club guestrooms from levels 22 to 24, which enjoy access to a private lounge and a boardroom with natural light. A pillarless ballroom, accommodating 400 for cocktails, and five break-out units bring up the inventory of corporate event spaces.
As with the old Hyatt Tsimshatsui, this Hyatt boasts a convenient location. As part of the K11 multi-use development that also consists of high-end apartments and a six-story mall, the hotel enjoys direct access to the Tsimshatsui MTR subway and East Tsimshatsui MTR station.
For more on the hotel, visit www.hyatt.com
Margie T Logarta
