Hotel review: Hotel Pennington

What’s it like?

This small boutique hotel, opened in November 2013 under the management of Rhombus International (the group behind Hotel LKF, Panorama and Bonaparte in Hong Kong, plus the Rhombus Fantasia in Chengdu), is a great new addition to the Causeway Bay hotel scene.

You could almost miss the entrance; an elegant, sloping slab of granite and a glass sliding door lead to a small lobby where staff escort you up to the fourth floor reception, which doubles as a bar with an outside terrace.

Hotel rooms stretch from the fifth floor up to the 24^th floor, but this is a thin spike of a building, with only four rooms on most floors.

The hotel has hundreds of works of art on the walls, with helpful notices saying what they depict, and there is a pleasant signature scent in the lifts and corridors – very welcome during the Hong Kong summer.

The hotel is friendly – staff members greet you by name as you leave in the morning and return in the evening, and are eager to help with hailing taxis or giving directions. It’s also quirky. On checkout I was asked if I had consumed anything from the mini bar (I hadn’t), and then they asked if I would sit down for a minute while they went and checked the room! I suppose this stops later misunderstandings, but only at the risk of creating some immediate ones.

Where is it?

In Causeway Bay on Pennington Street – hence the name of the hotel, a two-minute walk from Causeway Bay MTR station and a 10-minute taxi ride from the Airport Express station that connects to the international airport.

Room facilities

The 79 rooms are in four categories and are all accessed via a key card for security. All have wood-effect tiled floors and lots of power sockets. The rooms are small but well designed, with both power and rain showers, and sliding doors hiding the bathroom, if preferred. There’s a flat screen 40-inch Sony TV with surround sound, and the speakers are tucked behind the headboard of the bed. The beds are very firm and very comfortable, and there’s a choice of feather pillows. The worktable is large enough to spread out and, in most rooms, it faces out to a city view. There are lots of plugs and a couple of lamps, and still space for the kettle and complimentary tea and coffee, as well as bottles of water each day. The design works well; I liked the fact that the air conditioning was very effective, quick and easy to turn on and off, and that you can turn off all the lights from the bed rather than having to walk around the room when it’s time for sleep.

All rooms have fabulously fast wifi – I was told there was one “device” for each room, whereas many hotels share this between several rooms, and certainly even with four or five devices logged on there was no noticeable slowing – even when conducting a video conference (OK, talking to the family on Facetime).

Restaurants and bars

The first, second and third floor houses restaurants that are all run by outside companies. However, all drinks and meals can be signed to your room at the second floor Russian restaurant as well as the third floor restaurant (where breakfast is served from 0700 and the bar stays open until 2300). There is also a Korean restaurant on the first floor, but the options are so numerous around Causeway Bay you’d be better off exploring.

Business and meeting facilities

There are none –though the reception area terrace can be used for functions.

Leisure facilities

There is no fitness centre or arrangement to use local facilities, though that is something the hotel may consider in the future, if there’s a demand.

Verdict

Very good. A great location and personalised service, but at the cost of dining options or a fitness centre, which isn’t too much of a problem for a short stay in Causeway Bay – and if longer you can always arrange something locally with a fitness club.