Many business travellers working for budget-conscious companies can’t afford luxury hotels (for the purpose of this article, those with prices above US$200). But, as the recent influx of new and refurbished entries into the market in the Asia-Pacific region shows, you don’t have to sacrifice style, location or business facilities by choosing on price. In fact, some can save you further cash by allowing in-room catering, while others have installed kitchens for those long-stayers who find the swankier serviced apartments beyond their means. Here is a selection of the latest stylish, and affordable, options in the region.
Hong Kong
LANSON PLACE
133, Leighton Road, Causeway Bay, tel +852 3477 6888, lansonplace.com.hk
Launched in autumn 2005, this property is one of a small chain with similarly priced hotels located in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. The 194 rooms, while sleek and contemporary in design, are quite homely, thanks to the generous use of wood panelling and cosy lighting.
Rooms start at a comfortably spacious 35sqm with compact kitchen areas and microwave ovens, while the top four categories are referred to as “residences”, each containing a kitchenette and cooking utensils. Wireless broadband operates throughout the hotel.
Not only has Lanson Place done away with food and beverage outlets, but it has no reception area either, only a very small desk inside the entrance, although limousine services are available. The hotel is in a good location, just off the buzzing main drag of one of Hong Kong’s most lively, 24-hour neighbourhoods – Causeway Bay – and overlooking vibrant Jardine’s Bazaar, with its noodle shops and tiny boutiques. Turn the corner and you are suddenly strolling past the world’s best luxury brand boutiques and stylish restaurants that make up the Lee Gardens malls.
Price: Telephone rate for a midweek stay in early April was HK$1,345 (£99).
EXPRESS BY HOLIDAY INN
CAUSEWAY BAY
33 Sharp Street East, Causeway Bay, tel +852 3558 6688, ichotelsgroup.com
With 269 rooms and an emphasis on reasonable rates, this all-new 20-floor property – part of a new expanding low-priced Holiday Inn brand – houses six restaurants and a business centre.
The modern-looking reception is run by proficient speakers of English, Mandarin and Japanese, while rooms have small built-in desktops, plenty of natural light and most have impressive city views. All have a single or double sofa bed.
The hotel building houses a number of restaurant concessions, including a Pizza Hut that has been given a contemporary look, and a modern Japanese restaurant called Opus, and inclusive breakfasts are served in Times Restaurant, which has moderately priced lunch and dinner menus and an adjoining cigar bar. Children eat for free.
The hotel has access to 700 off-site parking spaces directly opposite the hotel building. A large variety of shops are just within walking distance, with the Time Square shopping mall and office building right opposite the hotel. An MTR station is also close by.
Price: Best internet rate for a midweek stay in early April was HK$1,107 (£82) for a double room with city view.
THE FLEMING
41 Fleming Road, Wanchai, tel +852 3607 2288, thefleming.com
This hotel is so new that its website is still under construction. Due to open in May, it has 66 spacious guestrooms and a downtown Hong Kong Island location in Wanchai. The Fleming is – or will be – a hip hotel with rooms measuring up to 30sqm. Decor is modern and minimalist with honey-toned wooden flooring and fixtures and warm lighting imparting cosiness.
Rooms have high-speed internet connections and compact kitchenettes, so both work and dining space have been well provided for. Flat-screen LCD TVs are standard, as are goose down duvets and fine bed linen. Executive rooms get a DVD player. A restaurant within the hotel will offer international fare. Disabled-friendly facilities and rooms are available.
Express check-in and checkout are possible and the front desk has a concierge service that never sleeps. The business and conference centre has secretarial services available. In the lobby, there is a currency exchange service, a car rental desk, a few boutiques and a small pharmacy. If you are considering bringing kids on your business trip, babysitting services are available.
Price: Published rates are from HK$1,200 (£88) up to HK$2,300 (£170) but a special opening discount will be available.
DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD HOTEL
Penny’s Bay, Lantau Island, tel +852 1830 830, hongkongdisneyland.com
The mid-range hotel bracket in Hong Kong has a newish alternative to a selection in a downtown location: Hong Kong Disneyland on Lantau Island.
The more funky of the theme park’s two onsite accommodation options, Hollywood Hotel, can be reached from Central in about an hour. This property pays tribute in name and design to the golden age of movies – Hollywood’s showbusiness heyday from the 1930s to 1950s. Designed in art deco style with plenty of whimsical Mickey Mouse-inspired motifs, the eight-storey hotel has 600 guestrooms in a U-shaped building, arranged around an expansive lawn that features a pool in the shape of a grand piano.
Rooms have garden, park or sea views and are, naturally, bright and cheerful with references to Mickey and the gang throughout, from wallpaper to bedspread. All have broadband internet connection. There is only one suite.
If you’re considering bringing your family on a work trip to Hong Kong, this could be a good choice. There are special bedtime stories screened on TV, wake-up calls from Mickey and plenty of children’s activities scheduled daily; not to mention the adjacent theme park itself.
Price: Telephone rate for a midweek stay in early April was HK$1,243 (£92) for a garden view up to HK$3,390 (£250) for a suite.
Shenzen
FOUR POINTS BY SHERATON
5 Guihua Road, Futian Free Trade Zone, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, tel +86 755 8359 9999, fourpoints.com/shenzhen
Part of the Sheraton’s budget-aware brand, Four Points is a bright modern hotel. It’s located in Cafu Square, a residential and retail complex which is 10 minutes from the Shenzhen Convention & Expo Centre and a few minutes from the Huanggang border crossing with Hong Kong. The 278 guestrooms (including 21 suites) are spacious, and most have views overlooking the Shenzhen River, and the hills and wetlands of the New Territories.
More than 860sqm of wifi meeting and banqueting facilities are complemented by the latest audiovisual equipment. Six restaurants and bars cover all culinary bases. Panash, Shenzhen’s first pan-Asian restaurant has proved an instant hit. There’s also a swimming pool and gym available. The staff’s faltering English and the non-downtown location (around 25 minutes by taxi) are the only downsides here.
Price: Best internet rate for a midweek stay in early April was £74 for a superior king room.
SHANGHAI
THE PANORAMA SHANGHAI
53 Huang Pu Road, Shanghai, China, tel 86 21 5393 0008, accorhotels.com/asia
The Panorama has a great central location on the northern tip of Shanghai’s famous waterfront, the Bund, within sight of the Huang Pu River. Its 192 all-suite units come in spacious one- to three-bedroom configurations, many with splendid sweeping views of the colonial architecture of the Bund and the river, across to the modern towers of Pudong.
Elegant furnishings and a fully-equipped kitchen help to make the suites feel like something of a home from home, and within the building, there is even a reading room and small library.
The Club restaurant serves good-quality Chinese and western fare and its lounge bar has great night-time views of the dazzling lights of Shanghai’s Pudong district across the river. A fairly large fitness centre offers steam and sauna rooms, a spa pool and massage treatments. There’s retail therapy nearby too, with the city’s bustling Nanjing, Huai Hai, Sichuan and Jin Lin Roads all within strolling distance.
Rooftop multi-purpose function rooms, with hi-tech audiovisual equipment on standby, offer impressive meeting or event venues for gatherings of up to 50 people. English is not widely spoken by all staff but service is polite.
Price: Best internet rate for a midweek stay in early April was £47 for a standard room.
SYDNEY
KIRKETON
229 Darlinghurst Road, Darlinghurst, Sydney, Australia, tel +61 2 9332 2011, kirketon.com.au
This award-winning 40-room contemporary hotel, designed by architects Burley Katon Halliday, is the flagship of Sydney-based Eight Hotels.
Nestled in the heart of Darlinghurst, a 20-minute taxi ride from the airport, the hotel is currently undergoing a refurbishment of its restaurant The Kirketon Bar & Dining Room on the ground floor. Opening in mid-2006, it is promised to be a chic restaurant with a French twist, the idea of locally renowned restaurateur James Ingram.
Though no fitness facilities exist on-site, complimentary local gym passes come with each room booking. Aveda bathroom amenities sit alongside The Kirketon’s own fruit-loaded products, and a stereo with CD player and video player are supplied in all rooms. Wireless broadband is available throughout, and small meeting and conference facilities and secure underground parking are offered.
Make sure you book well ahead; occupancy here is usually 95 per cent.
Price: Best internet rate for a midweek stay in early April was AUS$139 (£57) for a standard room.
MELBOURNE
GRAND MERCURE SWANSTON
195 Swanston Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, tel +61 3 96634711, mercuregrandonswanston.com.au
Located in the heart of the city, close to restaurants, theatres, nightlife and Melbourne’s best shopping, this hotel has 200 spacious rooms newly refurbished in modern colours, with quality bed linen and stylish furniture and fittings.
The warm contemporary lobby sets the scene for the hotel: modern, relaxed and efficient. There are 161 queen-size rooms, 36 suites and three disabled-friendly rooms. There are also designated non-smoking floors.
ON15 restaurant on the 15th (top) floor overlooks the city centre. Diners can enjoy modern Australian fare and fine wines here in an elegant, candlelit atmosphere. Less formal are Mezza Bar & Grill and Soul Café, both casual outlets on the ground level.
Other facilities include a heated rooftop pool and conference facilities. Express check-in and checkout are standard.
Price: Best telephone rate for a midweek stay in early April was AUS$199 (£82) for a standard room.
SINGAPORE
FURAMA CITY CENTRE
60 Eu Tong Sen Street, Singapore, tel +65 6533 3888, citycentre.furama.com
Following a recent US$12.9 million renovation, this Furama (not to be confused with its sister hotel, Furama Riverside Singapore) in the heart of Singapore is looking bright and super-swish. With its charcoal-grey facade and green glass-enclosed balconies, it looks like a small apartment block for creative types.
Situated on the edge of colourfully painted Chinatown, a short walk from Boat Quay and Clarke Quay with the financial and civic districts a short cab hop away, there is a range of accommodation. High-speed internet access is available throughout, and flat-screen TVs are standard, as are DVD players and espresso coffee makers.
There are also 48 rooms and suites on the executive floors with free access to meeting room facilities, buffet breakfast and a pre-dinner cocktail lounge. Open to all guests is a lush terrace garden with a small landscaped swimming pool, outdoor spa bath and gym.
You can find wifi points at common areas throughout the hotel including poolside and the coffee shop. On-site restaurant choices include Chinese and Korean. Meeting and conference facilities can handle up to 600 attendees in the ballroom.
Price: Best internet rate for a midweek stay in early April was SGD180 (£64).
Watch this space
The horizon looks bright for the mid-range hotel market, with several properties across the region polishing newly minted signs or preparing to launch shortly. Below are a few to watch out for.
In Hong Kong, the Cosmo — sister property of Cosmopolitan Hotel in the Wanchai area — recently opened, featuring colour-coded rooms, while several other properties are set to open. These include Hotel LKF (rhombushotels.com), which will house its own contemporary food and beverage outlets, overlooking the buzz of the trendy restaurant and bar area Lan Kwai Fong.
Also opening is Hotel Panorama (rhombushotels.com), a gleaming new 324-room tower in the heart of Kowloon’s bustling Tsim Sha Tsui neighbourhood; and the Novotel Citygate (accor.com) near Hong Kong’s international airport, Chek Lap Kok.
In Sydney, Eight Hotels’ newest stylish addition will be Diamant (diamant.com.au) due to open in mid- to late-2006; it will be a bit pricier than the Kirketon but will still be within the mid-price range.
Accor is launching its innovative Ibis economy brand in Bangkok with three hotels in key commercial areas, filling an important need for low-cost stays. These are: Ibis Siam Bangkok (189 rooms), five minutes from the popular Pratunam shopping area; Ibis Huamark Bangkok (288 rooms) near Huamark Stadium; and Ibis Fenix Bangkok (150 rooms), off busy Sukhumvit Road on Soi 11, near pubs and restaurants. As with all Ibis hotels, they will offer one bar and one restaurant. The first two Ibis hotels are opening this month, with Ibis Fenix Bangkok in late-2006.
