B (1)

J Plus Hotel by Yoo

BACKGROUNDYoo Hotels describes itself as“a

global design group created by leading property

developer John Hitchcox and Philippe Starck”. The

hotel group is expanding, with a raft of new openings

planned in the coming years everywhere from Rio de

Janeiro, Brazil and Boracay in the Philippines in 2016

to Bali and the Cotswolds (UK) by 2018. It has two

brands: Yoo Collection and Yoo2. This property is in the

Yoo Collection.

WHERE IS IT?On the corner of Pennington and

Irving Street, a two-minute walk from entrance F to

Causeway Bay MTR Station.

WHAT’S IT LIKE?Quite a mouthful, especially if

you’re trying to tell the taxi driver where it is. Better to

say the Regal Hotel in Causeway Bay, which is on the

other side of the street. Formerly the Jia Hotel which

opened in 2004, this hotel has been refreshed in a

HK$10 million makeover with a striking new façade.

First impressions are confusing: the foyer is half lobby,

half art gallery, with lots of colours, mirrors and glass

panels in exotic frames. It’s slightly surreal, particularly

if you are jet lagged, though you can quickly pick up on

the Chinese motifs of coins, dragons and bamboo, even

if you trip over one of the steps leading into the lobby

or to the lifts while you are getting your bearings. It’s

certainly very Starck, with imported European furniture

covered in bright, artificial fabrics, and the art changes

periodically with different exhibitions.

ROOM FACILITIESThere are 56 rooms in total (32

studios and 24 suites) in four categories: Studio and

Studio Plus (35 sqm) and Suites and Suites Plus (72

sqm). All are a good size – the hotel was originally built

as serviced apartments and designed as such. There are

24 floors in total, though the elevator only goes to 23

and the fitness room (very small) is accessed by some

stairs up to floor 24. All rooms have flatscreen TVs, an

iPod dock and fully equipped kitchen including fridge,

electric stove and microwave. My Suite was large and

had several distinct areas, including a work area with

desk and good angle-poise lamp, a chaise longue, a

window seat hidden behind a pale curtain, a kitchen

area, a bedroom and a separate bathroom. In front of the

TV was a blue fake sheepskin rug, and on the ceiling a

painted mural. The hotel has free high-speed wifi, and

also the use of a Handy mobile phone with free local

calls and free international calls to some destinations

(US and France among them, UK was about to be

added after I left). It also allows you to create a hotspot

using the device, which means I could stay connected

for no extra charge using my own phone to connect to

this wifi hotspot as I explored Hong Kong.

BARS AND RESTAURANTSThere are none,

though apparently on the first floor there is space for

an eatery and the intention is to open a Japanese

restaurant there. The ground floor offers a continental

breakfast each morning and in the evening a lounge

service of cakes and wine (coffee, tea and juices are

available throughout the day).

MEETING FACILITIESOn the top floor the hotel has

a small room which can be booked if you are staying in

one of the higher suite categories. Tom Otley

VERDICTThe distinctive

design will put off as many as

it attracts, but it would be a

shame to be distracted from

what is an excellently located

hotel with good-size rooms

and friendly staff.

PRICEInternet rates for

a midweek stay in July

start from HK$2,612

(US$337) for a Suite.

CONTACT1-5 Irving

Street, Causeway Bay;

tel +852 3196 9000;

jplushongkong.com

It’s very

Starck, with

imported

European

furniture
covered in

bright, artificial

fabrics

24 ITried & TestedHotel

JUNE (^2016) businesstraveller.asia