BACKGROUND: Opening in July 2012, at the time of our visit in September the hotel was still finishing its third-floor attractions, including swimming pool, fitness centre and executive lounge. Dorsett Regency is one of four brands in the Kosmopolito group, which also includes Cosmo, Silka and Grand Dorsett, and it has some 17 hotels open with eight more in the pipeline, mostly in Asia, though with a new opening in London in 2014 in Shepherd’s Bush. Dorsett Regency is a four-star brand with excellent modern facilities.
WHAT'S IT LIKE? Blink and you would miss the entrance for the hotel which has a small physical footprint but makes up for it by rising 29 storeys high, giving good views of the Victoria Harbour from the upper floors. The lobby is small, and occasionally got crowded during my stay, though this will be helped once the executive lounge on the third floor opens since check-in for the 34 suites and 50 club rooms will be conducted there rather than in the lobby. The lobby has several trendy design features, including a screen above reception with changing images and a cube over the entrance which flashes as though in a disco. Staff were helpful, always opening the door and taking my bag on first arrival.
WHERE IS IT? In East Kowloon in Kwun Tong, formerly an industrial hub and also where the Kai Tak airport was, but now on the rise with buildings such as Manulife Financial Centre and Millennium City that houses the APM shopping mall. This isn’t a place to stay for the first-time visitor to Hong Kong, perhaps, since you have to use the MTR or ferry to get to the sights, but the hotel is around an 8-minute walk to the Kwun Tong MTR station. If you are coming in from the airport and using the Airport Express carrying luggage, it’s probably best to get off at Kowloon Station and take a taxi the rest of the way (the Airport Express shuttle doesn’t run out this way).
ROOM FACILITIES: The majority of the rooms are small at 21 sqm, but clever use of mirrors and a window from the shower through to the main bedroom make them seem larger. There are a total of 327 guest rooms and 34 suites, all coming with complimentary wifi and broadband internet access, iPod docking stations and flat-screen televisions. There is a mini bar, kettle for tea and coffee making and plans for the suites to also have microwaves. The rooms were quiet, and the beds comfortable, though very firm – which suited me but might be a bit severe for some. At the time of writing there were no designated club rooms, since the club lounge was yet to open, but these will be on the upper floors – 22nd to 29th. My deluxe room was 21 sqm and on the 27th floor, so will in time be a Club Room, perhaps with some upgraded amenities (the suites have Tarocco toiletries), but had a better view than the standard and superior rooms, with the work table being by the window with plenty of plugs for keeping laptops and phones charged while working. The bathroom is small but has a window through to the main room with an adjustable electric blind, and a switcher between a power shower and rain shower.
RESTAURANTS AND BARS: La Maison de l'Orient is the all-day dining room on the first floor serving both a Chinese menu and a western menu.
BUSINESS AND MEETING FACILITIES: These were yet to open, but will be on the third floor and include several meeting rooms, as well as the executive lounge and club check-in area. There is also an outdoor seating area where smokers can enjoy themselves.
LEISURE FACILITIES: Again, also on the third floor and yet to open but with a small outdoor pool, a gym and outdoor pool and gym.
VERDICT: A very good hotel. The rooms are small, but very comfortable, and the service top-notch. The Kwun Tong area is up and coming, and perhaps not for the first-time visitor, but for those used to using the MTR or with an office over the water in Quarry Bay or North Point, this is an excellent value option.
FACT FILE
HOW MANY ROOMS? 361 in total with 34 suites. Try and choose a room on an upper floor – club rooms most likely – for a view of the Victoria Harbour.
ROOM HIGHLIGHTS: Excellent dual showers, free wifi and good firm beds.
PRICE: Internet rates for a standard room midweek in October is HK$1,467 (US$189), including breakfast and taxes.
CONTACT: 84 Hung To Road, Kwun Tong, Kowloon; +852 3989 6888; www.dorsettregency.com/kwuntong
Tom Otley
