Business Traveller Asia-Pacific Edition – November 2018

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businesstraveller.com

TRIED AND TESTED HONG KONG HOTEL

BACKGROUNDThe Murray takes its

name from the historic modernist building

it occupies, originally government ofices,

now converted into a luxury hotel by Wharf

Holdings, which is best known for its Marco

Polo hotels and Niccolo hotels. Originally

designed by British modernist architect Ron

Phillips in 1969, its most distinctive features

are the three-storey arches and recessed

windows, meaning sunlight never hits them

directly, keeping the building cool yet still

giving views out to the surrounding parks

and, now, much taller buildings.

WHERE IS IT?On Cotton Tree Drive,

within the central business district and next

to the green oasis of Hong Kong Park. The

hotel is 35 minutes by car from Hong Kong

International Airport and a ten-minute walk

to the Central MTR subway station.

WHAT’S IT LIKE?The hotel feels

almost boutique, despite its 336 rooms,

helped by the fact that the foyer area is

never busy. Liveried doormen take your

bags while you check in on the lower

ground floor – all gold, black and white,

with modernist sculptures – and a bank of

elevators whisk you up to the rooms.

ROOMSThe rooms and suites span 25

floors. Entry level is the 38 sqm Superior

room, followed by the Deluxe room at

47 sqm. More than 75 per cent are 50

sqm Grand and Grand Deluxe rooms. The

rooms are beautiful in an understated way;

doors to the bathroom have “magic glass”,

which turns from transparent to opaque

at the touch of a button. Bottled water, tea

and cofee, and a small bowl of fruit are

supplied, and there is a twice daily service.

Many rooms have freestanding baths and

have both power and rain showers, with

Australian Grown Alchemist toiletries.

There is a 24-hour in-room dining service,

bar and fridge, free wifi, safe, laptop

recharging and media and video streaming

on demand. Up on the 23rd floor are the

most luxurious hotel suites: the Cotton Tree,

Park, Penthouse and Murray.

FOOD AND DRINKThe two main

restaurants, the Garden Lounge and The

Tai Pan, are on the first-floor Garden Level,

with a third, the Guo Fu Lou Cantonese

restaurant, across a walkway in an elegant

pavilion. I ate breakfast in The Tai Pan

and one evening meal. There was a small

bufet and a choice of one à la carte dish

for breakfast, which I felt was a little limited.

In the evening, The Tai Pan serves both

international and Asian dishes, and it is

possible to eat inside or out. The Murray

Lane Bar on the lower ground floor was

popular, while Poppinjays, the rooftop

restaurant and bar on the 26th floor, was

disappointingly closed for a private function.

MEETINGS The hotel’s main indoor

event space is the Niccolo room on the

25th floor, with a capacity to seat 240 guests

and host a reception for up to 300. This

BEST FOR...

Five-star luxury inside a historic

modernist landmark building in a

convenient central location.

DON’T MISS...

Exploring the two parks next to the

hotel and taking the nearby tram

up to Victoria Peak.

PRICE

From HK$2,805 (US$358) for a

Superior room per night in November.

CONTACT

22 Cotton Tree Drive, Central,

Hong Kong; +852 3141 8888

niccolohotels.com

space can be divided into a pre-function

room and up to eight individual spaces with

wall panels that slide back to reveal 65-inch

flatscreen TVs.

On the first level, The Arches is a semi-

outdoor space – under those distinctive

arches – capable of hosting car showcases,

art exhibitions and fashion shows. On the

Garden Level, the 130 sqm Cotton Tree

Terrace is a versatile outdoor space for

casual events for up to 100 guests. There

are six boardrooms on level two.

LEISURE There is a small fitness centre

on level three, plus a spa with five treatment

rooms. The gym has natural light, but is

quite small and could do with a little more

equipment. There is also a 17-metre lap pool

on the ground floor and a vitality pool.

VERDICT This luxury hotel, in a sensitively

converted historic building, is a fabulous

addition to Hong Kong. Service is good

throughout and both regulars and first-time

visitors will gain a new perspective on the

city from its central location. Tom Otley

Visitors will gain a new

perspective on the city

from its central location

NOVEMBER 2018

The Murray,

Hong Kong