Editors' Picks

The Upper House

Calm, Zen-like, urbane

88 Queensway., Pacific Place, Hong Kong

+852 2918-1838

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At a Glance

Space and serenity are two words that don’t often come to mind when describing Hong Kong, but they are both at the heart of what makes The Upper House special. Occupying the top 11 floors of a gleaming glass tower in Admiralty, the hotel is a delightful space to come home to after a day of buzzing around one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The 117 guest rooms have a Zen-like quality—up here you can reflect on your time in this city, be it from the beautiful limestone bathtub or the cushioned sills lining the bedroom windows. The staff have a wonderful sense of making you feel right at home, from joining you on a guided exploration of Hong Kong Island to leaving surprise gifts for you almost every time you return to the property. And how better to end your day than having a cocktail and dinner at the top floor restaurant with a birds-eye view of one of the most iconic skylines in the world?

The Standout: The André Fu designed rooms with views across Victoria Harbor to Kowloon Don’t Miss: Ask one of the wonderful Guest Experience Team members to lead you up to Victoria Peak for some morning exercise

Indagare Loves

  • The minimalist but warm design, with natural wood and stone details, that allow you to meditate on the city’s complexities
  • The lawn area on the 6th floor, a rarity in the city
  • Such amenities as in-room check-in that make it feel like you’re staying at the perfect apartment rather than a city hotel

Review

Occupying the top 11 floors of a gleaming glass tower in Central, The Upper House has a hand-crafted feel thanks to designer Andre Fu’s sleek interiors and the 400-plus pieces of original art that decorate rooms and common spaces. Fu, a young, celebrated, Hong Kong–born designer, is focused on keeping interiors minimalist but also warm and comfortable.

The 117 guest rooms are among the largest in the city: the smallest clocks in at 730 square feet and thanks to the hotel’s lofty location, all come with breathtaking views (the most coveted looking across the harbor toward Kowloon). Smooth woods, including limed oak and bamboo timber, dominate the rooms' zen ambience, which are partitioned by sliding panels that hide spacious dressing rooms and massive limestone bathrooms. There, guests will find soaking tubs and separate rain showers, as well as floor-to-ceiling windows (there is a funny note in the bathroom that gently reminds guests to close the shutters at night when the bathroom is illuminated). The windows in the bedroom, meanwhile, come with large cushioned sills and guests who are not prone to vertigo will love hovering above the city, watching cars navigate the roads like insects and marveling at the steel-and-concrete skyline that punctures the green mountains. Each room has at least one original sculpture by Taiwanese sculptor Marvin Mito Fang and his curvaceous pieces, each made in woodgrain sandstone, add personality and uniqueness to the spaces.

Just as there is no front desk (travelers arriving at The Upper House are directly taken to their room for check-in), the hotel has innovated when it comes to amenities. In addition to the expected shampoos and lotions, bathrooms feature well-stocked toiletry bags complete with a hairbrush, toothbrush and toothpaste. The "maxi-bar" (soft drinks, juice, water, beer is complimentary) also includes an espresso maker, a selection of tea and snacks like almonds, candy and cookies. There’s absolutely nothing gratuitous in the rooms: even the cumbersome hotel information folder usually found in a classic hotel has been eliminated. Instead, you find an IPTV, which allows you to check the weather, see local maps, read room service menus and order meals, and contact a member of the Guest Experience team, which is on call 24 hours a day. (Of course, for non-tech-savvy visitors, the hotel is happy to supply a paper version.)

The Upper House doesn’t have a spa or a pool, but it scores high in the culinary department, having wooed star chef Gray Kunz back to Hong Kong. His Café Gray Deluxe, on the 49th floor, has some of most spectacular tables with a view in all of Hong Kong, and the bar area and lounge is always packed with a hip crowd. The chef himself plans on overseeing the kitchen and switching up the menu several times a year; the cuisine is classic Kunz: a wild and brilliant fusion of East and West.

Don’t miss the small lawn area on the 6th floor where guests can lounge on beanbag chairs and enjoy a respite from the city’s drumming rhythms. The location, in the Pacific Place complex, is a straight 10-minute walk or five-minute taxi ride to Central’s main shopping hubs or the restaurants and bars of Sheung Wan.

Who Should Stay

Design aficionados who want a tucked-away retreat; foodies who want Gray Kunz cuisine room service; travelers who prefer their hotels serene and hidden away.

Written by Simone Girner

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