Hong Kong has one of the world's most dynamic, most luxurious hotel scenes. After all, it was the birthplace of Peninsula and Mandarin Oriental. But even with that prestigious pedigree, there's room for new blood.
Rosewood Hong Kong, which has become the brand's flagship, proves the point, managing to blend classic high-touch luxury with a slate of contemporary amenities that include two Michelin-starred restaurants, one of the city's best club lounges and a 40,000 square-foot Asaya Spa proffering a panoply of Guerlain treatments.
The hotel sort of feels like a microcosm of Hong Kong that way — great dining, great wellness offerings, museum-worthy art, great shopping (at the attached K11 Musea mall). It brings together the best of Hong Kong in one place. Well, maybe minus a reasonably priced milk tea or dim sum basket. But even if you can't afford to stay here, a visit to one of its venues is well worth the splurge.
Here's what it was like to stay at the Rosewood Hong Kong and how to make the most of the experience.
Rosewood Hong Kong vibe
Imagine, if you will, a place where everyone has Gucci loafers and (actually real) Goyard bags, which they swing to and fro with careless abandon, their Cartier bangles and Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watches jangling, couture-clad tots in tow, as they make their way past surreal art installations to a sumptuous breakfast buffet or a wellness class overlooking Hong Kong harbor.
Can you picture it? If so, you might just have an inkling of what's in store for you at the Rosewood Hong Kong. A parade of well-funded families, trust-funded creatives and deal-closing business types are likely to be your fellow guests. You'll spot them shuttling up and down the elevator banks of the gleaming tower now anchoring the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront of Kowloon as they bustle about their well-to-do days.
That's not to say the hotel is stuffy, though. Rather, the people-watching is top-notch and the myriad staff on hand are there to make sure everyone has exactly what they want, when they want it, before they ask for it.
Rosewood Hong Kong location
The Rosewood Hong Kong is located along a prime stretch of Kowloon's waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui. It's attached to the K11 Musea luxury mall, close to several metro stations and a not-too-long stroll to the Star Ferry, making it easy to get public transportation.
From the airport, you could take the Hong Kong Airport Express to the Kowloon station and get the metro or a taxi from there. Otherwise, a taxi or Uber to the airport takes around 45 minutes and costs between $40-$60 each way.
Standout features
- Palatial rooms with all-marble bathrooms.
- 11 bars and restaurants that include some of the city's most sought-after reservations.
- Fabulous spa facilities and treatments that incorporate chi-chi Guerlain products.
Drawbacks
- Some visitors might prefer staying on the island side of the harbor versus Kowloon, where the hotel is situated.
- With public floors, private residences, club lounges and more, it can be hard navigating the hotel's many venues.
- The price point puts this hotel out of reach of most travelers.
Rosewood Hong Kong rooms and suites
The Rosewood Hong Kong has 413 rooms and suites perched on floors 24-40 of the gleaming tower the hotel occupies and ranging from Kowloon Peak View rooms to multibedroom suites.
The 39th-floor Club Grand Harbour View room I stayed in had, as its category name would suggest, sweeping views of the city's harbor and island skyline. It was also huge by Hong Kong standards, measuring up at 570 square feet. The decor by designer Tony Chi felt like a mix of midcentury British chic — chrome stag's head door handles, tartan-upholstered sofas and herringbone wallpaper — accompanied by nods to classic Hong Kong scenes like plush, geometric-patterned carpeting and filigreed woodwork with lacquered finishes reminiscent of the city's old shophouses.
Crisp Frette sheets and a surfeit of pillows turned out to be the perfect antidote to jet lag, too.
The true jawdropper, however, was the palatial bathroom, where practically every surface seemed to be tiled in burnished marble, including stylish black-and-white floors and deep-veined Arabescato-clad walls.
Dual hammered copper sinks, a central vanity, an inviting freestanding soaking tub and an enormous walk-in shower with twin overhead and handheld showerheads (and also stocked with cedarwood-jasmine Votary products) made it feel like my own private spa.
Rosewood Hong Kong restaurants and bars
The Rosewood Hong Kong is a dining destination unto itself, with 11 bars, cafes and restaurants. You could spend a week here just eating and drinking your way through all the venues.
Down on the ground floor, the all-day Holt's Cafe is a nod, albeit an extremely glammed-up one, to Hong Kong's classic Cha Chaan Teng diners and is where most guests take breakfast.
If you need a break from Asian cuisine, BluHouse is a trattoria-style eatery on the opposite side of reception and serves fresh-made pastas like rigatoni alla carbonara, bubbly-crusted pizzas and seasonal salads. Be sure to try the refreshing watermelon juice.
Next door, guests can peruse the pastries, perfumes and other sundries at Butterfly Patisserie, or settle in for a lavish afternoon tea at the art-filled Butterfly Room.
Come evening, though, the speakeasy-style DarkSide bar is the place to be thanks to strong cocktails, like the Manhattan-style Churchill with smoky Bruichladdich Classic Laddie scotch whisky, Mancino Rosso vermouth, Cointroy and Sherry, and live jazz under a WonderGlass perpetual-motion hourglass installation.
The rest of the hotel's dining outlets are up on the fifth floor and include Henry for classic steakhouse fare, the Michelin one-star Legacy House for dim sum and Chinese banquets, Chaat for Michelin one-starred Indian cuisine, XX for drinks in an intimate setting and the bustling Bayfare Social for delectable Spanish fare, including tapas and specialties like Wagyu bone marrow paella.
Rosewood Hong Kong amenities and service
Set aside a day to spend on the hotel's sixth floor, where you'll find the wellness amenities. There's an expansive gym kitted out with the latest Technogym equipment, and a movement studio where guests can partake in yoga and Pilates classes, among other offerings.
There's also an open-air 82-foot infinity pool overlooking the harbor and a tony boutique called Beauregards featuring curated high-end fashion items.
The centerpiece, though, is the Asaya Spa by Guerlain.
This is Rosewood's signature spa experience, but with a French twist. Guests can pore over the dozens of scents on offer and design their own bespoke treatments, including tailor-made facials formulated for each individual's skin type and needs (starting from $285 for 60 minutes).
Come well in advance of your treatment, though, to take advantage of the Bathhouse facilities including therapeutic pools, steam rooms and "experience showers" complete with lighting and aroma effects.
If it falls within your budget, it's worth booking a club-level room with access to the 40th-floor Manor Club. It ranges from $300-$400 extra per night, but you get a dedicated concierge staff plus complimentary daily breakfast (minus the hoi polloi down in Holt's), a simple but delicious afternoon tea service, evening canapes and drinks and more.
Rosewood Hong Kong accessibility
The hotel has a handful of wheelchair-accessible rooms with wide doorways, lowered peepholes, lowered counters and roll-in showers.
Public areas are all accessible by elevators and ramps. As always, contact the hotel directly to ensure its accessibility features meet your specific requirements.
Rosewood Hong Kong booking details
Rates at the Rosewood Hong Kong start at $820 per night, while the Club Grand Harbour View room I stayed in starts at $1,340 per night.
The hotel is part of American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts, so if you have the American Express Platinum Card® or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, you can make a booking through American Express Travel® and receive perks like availability-based upgrades, up to a $100 credit to use on-property during your stay for things like drinks or meals, complimentary daily breakfast for two and guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout.
Both cards offer a biannual up to $300 (up to $600 per calendar year) statement credit for prepaid stays at Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts (and other eligible bookings), so you could save $300 on a reservation at Rosewood Hong Kong if you are able to take advantage of one of these cards' credits.
Checking out
Crowned the world's best hotel, the Rosewood Hong Kong certainly does not disappoint, thanks to lavish rooms, a world-class spa and its myriad restaurants and bars. While the price point is high, if it falls within your budget, this is certainly the Rosewood to experience since it is the brand's flagship — and a fabulous place to make your home base in Hong Kong.
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Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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