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Hotel check: Gloucester Luk Kwok

Originally published on www.businesstraveller.asia 03/05/2011 - Filed under: Tried & Tested » Hotels » Tried & Tested » Tried & Tested » Hotels » Hong Kong »

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What’s it like? The original Luk Kwok hotel opened in the 1930s on Gloucester Road, at a time when the street was still positioned on the waterfront overlooking Victoria Harbour. The colonial property was the inspiration for the Nam Kok Hotel featured in the 1957 novel The World of Suzie Wong by British novelist Richard Mason.

Since then land reclamation on Hong Kong Island has lead to the road being located inland, and in the 1980s the original building was demolished and replaced with a 30-storey skyscraper.

The hotel recently completed an extensive refurbishment project, and was rebranded as the Gloucester Luk Kwok last year “to help appeal to the western market”. For those interested in the heritage of the hotel there are several display cabinets and photographs in the modern lobby area showing various eras in Luk Kwok’s history.

Where is it? On Gloucester Road in the Wanchai district of the city, opposite the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (and the Grand Hyatt and Renaissance Harbour View hotels), and a few minutes walk from the Wanchai MTR station.

Room facilities There are a total of 196 rooms, ranging from standard, superior and deluxe rooms, through to 14 executive rooms, and an executive and deluxe suite (the last three categories all being located on the 28th floor).

All rooms include a flatscreen TV, wifi internet access (charged at HK$100 per day on a 24-hour basis), safe, iron / ironing board, minibar, tea and coffee facilities and combined bath and shower, while executive rooms also include a large stand alone desk and comfortable work chair, a cushioned seat running along the end of the bed, iPod docking station, DVD player and fax machine. Room decor is muted and classic, with cream and beige being the predominant colour.

Restaurants and bars Le Menu, the hotel’s all-day-dining restaurant, is located on the first floor overlooking Gloucester Road, and offers a good selection of western and Asian buffet breakfast choices, an evening international buffet, and a la carte Oriental dishes. The Canton Room serves Cantonese cuisine in a traditional setting, while the ground floor Lobby Lounge offers drinks and cocktails between 1100 and 0030.

Business and meeting facilities The hotel has a total of four meeting spaces – two small boardrooms on the 21st and 25th floors (accommodating eight and ten people repsectively), and Falcon Rooms 1 and 2, which both hold up to 90 guests for a cocktail reception, or 200 when combined.

There is also a small business centre on the ground floor, open 24-hours and offering two desktop PCs, a printer, fax machine and scanner, and a small conference room for up to four people.

Leisure facilities There is a fitness centre on the 24th floor, open from 0630-2230 daily and with equipment including treadmills, exercise bikes and rowing machines.

Verdict While no longer the colonial landmark it once was, this latest incarnation of the Luk Kwok Hotel will still appeal to business travellers looking for modern, well-equipped rooms and a good location close to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Fact file

How many rooms? 196, of which 14 are executive rooms.

Highlights Large desks and iPod docking stations in the executive rooms, and a good selection of food at the buffet breakfast.

Price Standard rooms start from HK$1,980 (subject to 10 per cent service charge), while executive rooms start from HK$2,700 including breakfast.

Contact Gloucester Luk Kwok, 72 Gloucester Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong; tel +852 2866 2166; gloucesterlukkwok.com.hk

Mark Caswell

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