Hotel ICON, a 262-room property built as a training and research unit for the School of Hotel and Tourism Management by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, soft-opens today. Students on their internships will be trained in various departments by full-time staff. The hotel also has three prototype rooms where students can experiment and "design" rooms of the future. Adventurous guests can stay in these rooms.
The hotel features strong elements of local creativity, from the external structure designed by renowned local architect Rocco Yim to staff uniforms and a hotel suite conceptualised by award-winning designers Barney Cheng and Vivienne Tam. Interestingly, Tam, who designed one of the suites, is a fashion design graduate of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Guests can also get a taste of local flavours at The Market, which offers the delicious street foods of Hong Kong.
The hotel welcomed its first guest at 0730 today - a lady from Chile who has been visiting Hong Kong for the past seven years and works in the fashion industry.
“We are looking at people who are not tied to a hotel chain experience, such as those in the manufacturing and creative industry. They want something different and contemporary,” said Richard Hatter, general manager of Hotel ICON. According to Hatter, 135 rooms have already been booked for tonight and the hotel is looking at an occupancy rate of around 70 percent for the first three nights.
All rooms, ranging from 36sqm to 80sqm, cater to the business traveller with a complimentary mini-bar, an iPhone/iPod docking station and a Skype function embedded in the television set. Free wifi internet access is available throughout the entire hotel. There is a business centre on the 28th floor and the Grand Ballroom with a capacity for 480 people.
Other amenities include an outdoor swimming pool, gym and the Angsana Spa.
Rates at Hotel ICON start from HK$2,068 (US$266) for a night at the Icon 36 Harbour View Room – the entry-level room. Its grand opening is planned for the third quarter of 2011.
For more information, visit www.hotel-icon.com.
Rachael Ho
