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JUNE (^2016) businesstraveller.asia
its 30th floor facilities, which include a lounge and bar,
private rooms, meeting suites and a presidential suite.
Also in the area, theRoyal Park Hotel(royalpark.
com.hk) is situated next to the MTR station in Sha Tin’s
city centre; its 443 rooms and suites are furnished in
a clean, contemporary style, and it boasts an indoor/
outdoor pool that is heated in the cold season. Finally,
overlooking the Shing Mun River is the huge, 1,138-
roomRegal Riverside(regalhotel.com). Its size,
excellent F&B offerings, resort-style facilities and event
credentials have seen it win a number of plaudits from
the business and conventions community.
KOWLOON BAY
We now head south, through Lion Rock tunnel and
into the Kowloon Bay area, where gleaming high-rises
such as the Manulife Financial Centre and Standard
Chartered Tower are situated, along with industrial
buildings staffed by IT businesses and garment
sourcing firms. This part of Hong Kong has been
earmarked for development as the SAR’s “second
CBD”, and hotel groups have been quick to see
the potential.
A five-minute walk from Ngau Tau Kok MTR,
guests atL’hotel Elan(lhotelelan.com) check in on
the 35th floor, where the pool and gym are located.
In-room fossils acknowledge the hotel’s status as a
Geopark hotel, and the hotel reception can arrange
guided tours of Hong Kong’s designated Unesco
Geopark area for guests, says L’hotel’s executive vice
president Sylvia Chung.
“Another advantage of staying in this area is there
are many large shopping malls nearby including Apm,
Megabox and Telford Shopping Centre,”she adds.
Long-stay visitors looking for a homy ambience can
book into one of two duplexes, which feature Japanese-
style bathtubs. All 254 rooms in the hotel have their
own iPad.
Located close to the Kwun Tong promenade, the
Newton Place Hotel(newtonplacehotel.com) offers
views of Victoria Harbour from most rooms, while over
in Diamond Hill,Pentahotel Kowloon(pentahotels.
com) tags itself as“your neighbourhood lifestyle hotel”,
its hip design aiming to engage travellers with trendy
ideas like a reception area that doubles as a bar/café.
Sitting atop the Tseung Kwan O MTR and Popcorn
shopping mall, in facing tower blocks, are two great-
value hotel options. TheHoliday Inn Express Hong
Kong Kowloon East(ihg.com/holidayinnexpress) is in
Tower4–reliably consistent in its service and comforts;
in Tower 5 is the equally reputableCrowne Plaza
Hong Kong Kowloon East(ihg.com/crowneplaza),
which is worth checking out for the seven private spa
rooms from local wellness brand Sense of Touch.
From top:Hyatt Regency Sha Tin;
Regal Riverside; Harbour Plaza 8 Degrees
34 IHong Kong hotels