Stuart Jay Raj

Review of Lanson Place Hotel, Hong Kong

With so many so-called 'boutique hotels' popping u...

With so many so-called 'boutique hotels' popping up across Asia, the word 'boutique' has lost its shine, often being code for 'not of international standards' (especially in SE Asia).

The Lanson Place Hong Kong brought back my faith in the word 'boutique'. Everything about our experience there was first class. The lobby / reception area is on the 1st floor, accessed via elevator only and is set out more like an exclusive and intimate business lounge. There's a grand-piano in the middle of the main area, with lounge seating at tables - all having USB and charge ports for phones and laptops so that guests can sit, read, work etc. One of the things that kept us going back down to the lounge was the library there. There are actually an amazing selection of books in several languages. We spent many hours there just sitting in the great atmosphere after work winding down with a cocktail from the bar (which were great) and reading. There was a good selection of music in the background that was a great fit with the surroundings, at a volume that wasn't intrusive.

You could tell that a lot of thought went into the room planning. Given the space constraints of rooms in Hong Kong in general, the rooms here are amazingly large - and all of them have kitchen facilities (microwave, stove, oven etc), ironing board and lots of storage space for both clothes and 'stuff' in case you're staying there for more than a few days. Bathroom was a decent size for Hong Kong - very clean, good water pressure, good responsive hot / cold water balance and there is even a mini laundromat on the 2nd floor that costs 20HKD a wash. You're encouraged to go down to the 7-11 / shops nearby and fill the minibar yourself which is great - you can choose what actually goes in there.

The TV functions were great - many on demand movies and cable stations for free and it even has an interface with the 'HANDY' phone device that's given to you on check-in.

The HANDY device is a mobile phone, loaded with apps and other information that turned out to be really useful during the stay. The most useful part about the handy device for us was that it had a SIM card that gave you free local and international calls to many countries, as well as being able to be used as a mobile Wifi hotspot when needed around town. We found some great places to eat using the loaded information too - not just 'high end' places were listed. Even hole in the wall noodle shops which turned out to be great.

The service was great - breakfast was a small but good selection of hot and cold food in the main lounge area. It was never crowded and you could also order things off the menu that were included in breakfast (eggs, pancakes etc).

Lanson place is the antithesis of that gaudy hotel lobby'd Hong Kong hotel that has hoards of tourists passing through it. It was classy, elegant, spacious and 'just right' for our business trip this past week. We will definitely be back.