Special Committee Set Up Promote Malaysia In Hong Kong

The Tourism Ministry has set up a special committee to further promote Malaysia in Hong Kong.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said one of the roles of the committee was to disseminate information to every officer in Malaysia's consulate in the special administrative territory on ongoing programmes held by the Tourism Ministry.

She said the committee would also be responsible for taking action on issues related to tourism, such as complaints on getting visas.

She also said the committee would assist Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) in identifying potential investment areas and carry out consumer awareness programmes to train frontliners in order to give better service to Hong Kong tourists.

"After having a dialogue with major Hong Kong tour operators last night, it has been learnt that competition is very keen from Korea, Taiwan and Japan. Therefore, we have to find every opportunity to promote Malaysian tourism, and that's the reason for the setting up of this committee," Ng said after a meeting with officers of Tourism Malaysia for Hong Kong, and the Consulate General of Malaysia here on Wednesday.

She added that the committee would be headed by the Consul-General of Malaysia in Hong Kong, Cheong Loon Lai, while Zaliha Zainuddin, who is Tourism Malaysia director in Hong Kong, would be the secretary of the committee.

Meanwhile, during the dialogue, Hong Kong tour operators pointed out that Hong Kong tourists mainly faced transportation problems when they were travelling in Malaysia, especially Malaysian taxi drivers not charging according to the meter and difficulty getting taxis when it rains and during rush hour.

Ng said she regretted this as it was a never ending complaint and that she would bring it up with Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyddin Yassin at the next cabinet meeting so that a permanent solution could be found.

Regarding the issue of Hong Kong filmmakers facing bureaucracy when applying for permits to do shooting in Malaysia, Ng said the Tourism Ministry would study the possibility of establishing a "One Stop Assistance Centre" to facilitate their applications.

She said the film industry had contributed in promoting Malaysia, for instance, the Hong Kong movie "More More Tea Inn" had successfully made Redang Island become a famous tourist attraction.

Source : Bernama
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel tourism news]

AirAsia Announces New Penang-Hong Kong Route

AirAsia on Monday announced a new service from Penang to Hong Kong starting July 31 as part of the budget carrier's plan to establish Penang as its eighth hub.

According to the airline, the service is timely and will be well received by many as it has great advantage due to its extensive route network and low fares.

AirAsia is also increasing its second frequency to Singapore from Penang to cater to the demand from leisure and business travellers.

The new sector to Hong Kong and the introduction of second frequency to Singapore opens for sale for the booking period from July 7 to 12 for the travel period from July 31, 2009, to April 30, 2010.

AirAsia said in a statement today that it will be offering an all-in-fare from RM99 to Hong Kong and RM51 to Singapore to mark the launch of these sectors.

The airline, through its holiday division GoHoliday, is offering guests free rooms upon booking at its partner hotels in Hong Kong.

The promotion is valid via goholiday.airasia.com and available on a first come, first served basis.

"At a time when some airlines are cutting routes and downsizing capacity, we are breaking the trend with our aggressive expansion plans, increasing frequencies where there is proven demand, which certainly is for the Penang-Hong Kong and Penang-Singapore routes," said the airline's regional head of commercial, Kathleen Tan.

"We are also hoping to introduce new sectors to Shenzen and Guangzhou from Penang in the future," she said.

Tan said the Hong Kong route formed part of AirAsia's strategy to establish Kuala Lumpur as a gateway to other Asian destinations.

The airline's relationship with its long-haul affiliate AsiaAsia X will also connect traffic from Australia and the United Kingdom to the Chinese cities, she said.


Source : Bernama
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel tourism news]

Metropark Hotel back in business this week

HONG KONG's Metropark Hotel Wanchai will reopen on May 15 following the end of a seven-day lockdown of 300 guests and staff after the discovery of the city's first H1N1 case.
A government-organised sterilisation and cleaning of the hotel has been underway since the lifting of the quarantine order last Friday. The hotel will subsequently be issued with a hygiene certificate, declaring it safe for business.

The hotel was locked down on May 1 after a flu-infected Mexican guest was found to have checked in at the Wanchai property.

General manager, Mr. Evan Chiu, told TTG Asia Daily: "We have 109 staff and about 78 of them stayed for the quarantine. It has become a challenge for management to ensure that their team spirit is back. Extra allowances for staff have been promised by management to show their support. When the clean-up is completed this week, we will host an internal party to celebrate."

The hotel's bottomline may prove harder to rally amid the global slump. Mr Chiu said occupancy for the May Day holiday was originally projected at more than 90 per cent. Occupancy projections for the next few weeks stand at little more than 10 per cent.

"It's not just us but the whole industry is suffering as well," said Mr Chiu. "People are refraining from travelling for fear of catching the virus on planes. I hope the overseas travel trade understands that this incident was not our fault. It's hard to estimate the total cost but H1N1 was less destructive than the global economic tsunami. In terms of marketing, we are in the middle of drafting a special promotion to rebuild business."


Source : TTG
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel tourism news]

Isolated hotel guests showered with gifts in Hong Kong

Almost 300 guests of the Metropark Hotel who were quarantined as a precaution against H1N1 virus might have been inconvenienced - some even had to miss their flights - but they have more than one reason to smile now.

In a bid to maintain Hong Kong's reputation as a hospitality metropolis, the city government promised to rearrange departure flights for all 274 hotel guests, as it apologized for the inconvenience Monday.

Hotel staff and guests gesture behind a lobby window to staff from the same hotel group who are giving them support in Hong Kong May 4, 2009. [Agencies]

The Immigration Department has been directed to extend the guests' visas if they expired during the quarantine period.

The guests have also been offered free stays at other city hotels, calling cards, a travel card each valued at HK$100 and a free ride to the airport.

If that wasn't enough, each of them will today also get a "gift set", with free movie coupons and admission tickets to Ocean Park, Hong Kong Disneyland and Ngong Ping Cable Car.

"The most important thing is to let our tourists take back with them a good experience of Hong Kong," said Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Rita Lau Ng Wai-lan.

"We apologize for all the inconvenience caused, but this was an inevitable exercise."

All 23 passengers on board the same flight as a Mexican, who was confirmed to be infected with the flu, tested negative to the virus, officials said, adding that the patient's condition was now "stable".

Hong Kong Tourism Board Chairman James Tien said though there have been a few overseas enquiries about the situation in Hong Kong, the flu has had "limited impact" on tourism.

"The total number of visitors between May 1 and 3 recorded a slight drop of 0.9 percent."

Under Secretary for Food and Health Gabriel Leung reiterated that it was important to contain and curb the spread of the virus after the first case of H1N1 flu was confirmed in the city.

No new cases of human infection were reported as of yesterday. Three test results are pending.

The government is still trying to trace another 46 people who stayed in the Metropark Hotel at the same time as the Mexican who tested positive.

The taxi driver who drove the Mexican from the hotel to hospital was traced yesterday and was sent to the Lady Maclehose Holiday Village for quarantine even though he didn't show symptoms of the flu.

Source : China Daily
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel tourism news]

Hong Kong hotel quarantine move stirs controversy

Travellers quarantined in a Hong Kong hotel for a week after a Mexican guest tested positive for H1N1 flu expressed frustration on Saturday at the tough steps and a medical expert said authorities had over-reacted.

Journalists wearing masks report outside the Infectious Disease Centre of Princess Margaret Hospital in Hong Kong May 1, 2009 where a Mexican from Shanghai has been confirmed with the territory's first case of influenza A (H1N1). (REUTERS/Bobby Yip)

Police wearing surgical masks sealed off the Metropark hotel on Friday night after test results on the 25-year-old Mexican man were confirmed. They ordered the approximately 200 guests and 100 staff to stay in the hotel for the next seven days.

The measures taken by the authorities in Hong Kong underscore the concern here about the new flu and the confirmed case, Asia's first. Hong Kong was badly hit by the SARS virus in 2003 and has had many episodes of H5N1 bird flu for more than a decade.

"As this is the first confirmed case in the Greater China region and there is still little information about the severeness of the influenza, we need to be very cautious in dealing with the situation. We decided to take comprehensive and stringent measures to prevent any massive outbreak in Hong Kong," a government spokeswoman said.

Officials said no one would be allowed to leave the hotel in the Wanchai district, an area popular with tourists.

"It just feels surreal because you are trapped," said Juliet Keys, who arrived from Singapore on Thursday to attend and planned to leave on Sunday.

"I'm fine but it is a bit frustrating because I have a three-and-a-half year old daughter (and husband) in Singapore."

Keys, speaking to Reuters by telephone, said she was given a health check and a 10-day course of the antiviral drug Tamiflu. Health officials held a briefing for those inside, Keys said.

"People are pretty good. A few are emotional, frustrated at not being able to get out because of things like work commitments," Keys said, adding guests had been given rice and some side dishes to eat.

A frustrated Australian man in the hotel told local television by telephone he wanted to leave.

Brice Chevallereau, a French tourist, checked into the hotel on Friday afternoon but did not stay the night. When he returned to the hotel on Saturday, he was told by authorities he would have to be quarantined.

"Why do I have to go inside?" Chevallereau asked. "I just stayed two minutes in the lobby. It's not fair."

PASSENGERS URGED TO COME FORWARD

The Mexican man arrived in Hong Kong from Mexico on Thursday following a stopover in Shanghai. He developed a fever after arriving and took a taxi to a hospital on Thursday evening. He is in a stable condition, officials said.

Authorities appealed for 142 passengers and crew on the same flight as the Mexican to report to health officials.

Lo Wing-lok, an infectious disease expert, said the government was over-reacting.

"He would have been infectious starting from the time he was on the plane. Think about all the people around him on the plane, while he was going through customs, waiting for baggage, in the taxi, in the hotel and when he got to hospital," Lo said.

"So how can it be effective if the government is just trying to isolate people in the hotel, it is a mission impossible."

Health officials said the "essential needs" of those inside the hotel would be looked after. They would also get regular medical check-ups and psychologists were on standby.

News of the infected traveller caused jitters in Hong Kong and some people were taking no chances.

In subways, buses, ferry terminals and on the streets, more people went about their business on Saturday wearing surgical masks, although some had masks fashioned out of cloth.

At the checkout counters in a supermarket, residents rifled through masks and sterilisers.

A sign nearby said: "Prevent flu infection."

Source : STAR
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel tourism news]

Hong Kong isolates hotel after 1st swine flu case

Hong Kong quarantined hundreds of hotel guests and workers Friday after a tourist from Mexico tested positive for swine flu, Asia's first confirmed case of the disease. With memories of 2003's deadly SARS outbreak still fresh, the government moved quickly to track those exposed to the infected man and contain the potential spread of the disease.

Health workers wearing full body suits and masks wiped the tables, floor and windows in a room at the Metropark Hotel as guests in other rooms waved to photographers. It wasn't immediately clear if the room being cleaned was where the patient stayed.

Later Friday, more than 20 guests wearing masks walked from the hotel to ambulances that took them away. S.K. Chuang, a consultant to Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection, said the guests had shown respiratory symptoms and were taken to hospitals.

Police officers wearing gloves and masks guarded the Metropark Hotel and officials ordered a weeklong quarantine of the some 200 guests and 100 staff, all of whom were to be treated with the antiviral drug Tamiflu. The 25-year-old man who tested positive was isolated at a hospital and was in stable condition Friday.

Officials also began tracking down people the patient came into contact with on his journey to Hong Kong. China suspended flights from Mexico to Shanghai, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported Saturday morning.

The man, who was not identified, flew from Mexico to Shanghai on AeroMexico flight AM 98, then on to Hong Kong on China Eastern Airlines flight MU 505. He developed a fever after arriving in the territory Thursday afternoon, Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang told reporters.

While the man did not leave his flight in Shanghai, the case still raises concerns about the introduction of the virus on mainland China. Health experts fear the disease will be more difficult to contain if it begins to spread through Asia's densely populated countries.

Officials were attempting to track down the 140 other passengers on the flight, paying special attention to passengers who sat near him, and urged the taxi drivers who drove him to contact health officials, Secretary for Food and Health York Chow told reporters.

The patient, who was traveling with two other people, took taxis from Hong Kong's airport to his hotel and from the hotel to the hospital, but did not venture out otherwise, Chow said.

The two other travelers and a friend the man met with with during his stay have been isolated in a hospital but have not shown symptoms of illness, Chow said.

Twenty-four Taiwanese citizens were on the flight from Shanghai to Hong Kong and traveled on to Taiwan on six separate flights Thursday, the island's Department of Health said. The passengers were urged to contact Taiwanese health officials immediately.

The Mexican did not appear ill when he passed through Shanghai, but China will track down the other passengers on the flight from Mexico to Shanghai and quarantine them for seven days, the country's Ministry of Health said in a statement Friday.

In contrast to its tough measures Friday, the Hong Kong government was accused of responding slowly when severe acute respiratory syndrome spread in 2003 from southern China.

An infected doctor who checked into a Hong Kong hotel later died, but not before infecting a Hong Kong resident and 16 other hotel guests. Those guests spread the virus internationally. SARS eventually killed more than 770 people, including 299 in Hong Kong.

"Given the current situation, I'd rather err on the side of caution than miss the opportunity to contain the disease," Tsang said.

But the Hong Kong leader also urged calm, saying that all public activities would proceed as normal.

Even before the swine flu case emerged, Hong Kong officials had stepped up precautions, screening visitors for fever and ordering air travelers to fill out health declaration forms.

The government also launched a citywide cleanup. Public toilets are being cleaned every two hours and escalators in wet markets are wiped down every hour.

While South Korea has reported three probable cases of swine flu, the Hong Kong case is the first confirmed in Asia, where governments have been stepping up precautions to prevent its spread from other parts of the world.

The WHO on Friday increased the number of confirmed cases worldwide from 257 to 331, but the number of suspected cases reaches into the thousands.

Source : AP
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel tourism news]

Cathay to cut KK-Hong Kong flights

CATHAY Pacific will reduce its daily Kota Kinabalu-Hong Kong flights to four times a week in line with the airline's overall strategy to cut frequencies to cope with falling passenger travel.

Its sister airline, Dragonair, is the carrier that plies the route and will fly four times a week effective May 2009.

"We are reducing flight frequencies for destinations that have quite a number of flights. But we will try to keep our network intact without cutting routes," Katherine Lo, Cathay Pacific country manager for Malaysia and Brunei told reporters in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Lo said Cathay Pacific was not reducing its daily flights between Kuala Lumpur-Hong Kong and Penang-Hong Kong.

Cathay Pacific said last week it will reduce passenger capacity by eight per cent and overall cargo capacity by 11 per cent from May.

The airline is re-deploying its aircraft to more profitable routes and will increase flights from Hong Kong to Denpasar, Sapporo and Bahrain/ Riyadh.

Meanwhile, Lo said Malaysian employees with Cathay Pacific have been supportive of the airline's special leave scheme aimed at conserving cash.

"Almost 90 per cent of our 80 employees in Malaysia have participated in the voluntary scheme that was announced last Friday at the group level," said Lo.

Under the special leave scheme, all Cathay Pacific employees have been asked to take unpaid leave of one to four weeks, depending on seniority, over a 12 month period from May 1 2009 till April 30 2010.

Lo said the remaining year will continue to be a challenge for the airline, following its 22.4 per cent drop in turnover for the first quarter of 2009.

"We have already announced a series of measures to save cost including parking freighters, deferring our new aircraft deliveries and postponing capital expenditure," she said.

It has deferred the completion of its new cargo terminal in Hong Kong by 24 months to 2013 and will delay capital expenditure in airport lounge renovations in Hong Kong and London.

But Lo added that Cathay Pacific had recently revamped its airport lounge in Penang and was committed to completing renovation works on its airport lounge in Kuala Lumpur by mid-2009.

"The lounge (in Kuala Lumpur International Airport) will be bigger and hopefully can accommodate our expansion plans down the line," she added, declining to provide the investment value for the lounges.

Lo said the airline had no immediate plans to scrap its fuel surcharge.

Source : Business TimesOnline
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel vmy2008]

HKIA records further air traffic decline

Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) handled 3.8 million passengers in November 2008, representing a year-on-year drop of almost six percent. Air traffic movements fell by over one percent from November 2007 to 24,815.

The decline in passenger throughput was driven mainly by contracting visitor volume, particularly from long-haul markets including North America and Europe. The Chinese Mainland and South-east Asian markets also showed a considerable decline. The closure of Suvarnabhumi Bangkok Airport from November 25 to December 3, during which over 230 flights were cancelled, also contributed to the drop in passenger and cargo throughput last month.

Passenger volume and air traffic movements in the first 11 months of this year grew by over two percent each over the same period in 2007, to 44.5 million and 276,535, respectively.


Source : TravelWeekly
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel vmy2008]

Hong Kong wants more Muslim tourists from Malaysia

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is targeting to increase the number of Muslim tourists from Malaysia.

Its regional director (South/Southeast Asia) David Leung said for the first five months of 2007, there were 173,000 visitors from Malaysia, of which a substantial portion comprised Muslims.

There were 445,000 Malaysian visitors to Hong Kong in 2006.

"The 173,000 figure is about 10% more than the figure for the same corresponding period of 2006.

"We expect a single digit growth in Malaysian visitors to Hong Kong for the second half of this year," he said.

Leung spoke at a workshop for Muslim travelers to Hong Kong from Malaysia.

The workshop is organised by HKTB and supported by Cathay Pacific Airways and Uni Asia Tours Hong Kong.

"The completion of Disneyland in 2005, the Wetlands Park in 2006, and the recent completion of the cable car ride in Lantau Island were the crowd pullers for tourism," he said.

Leung said to attract more Muslim visitors from Malaysia, HKTB would launch in October a guide book for Muslim travelers in Hong Kong.

"The book contains information and addresses of all the halal-certified restaurants in Hong Kong.

"It also contains information of the interesting tourism sites in Hong Kong," he said.

Leung said the guidebook would be made available at travel agents and airline companies in the South and Southeast Asia region.

"The workshop is to address the religious and dietary need of Muslim travelers in Hong Kong.

"It is also to update travel agents' product knowledge and enable them to better understand what Hong Kong can offer to Muslims visitors," he said.

HKTB will be having a similar workshop in Kuala Lumpur on July 12 (Thursday).

Leung said Muslims travelers from Malaysia to Hong Kong started to increase some five years ago.

Source : STAR
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel vmy2007]

Hong Kong Tourists are Big Spenders - RM540 mil last year

Cash-rich tourists from Hong Kong have enormous purchasing power and spend an average of RM6,000 each over a five-day period every time they visit Malaysia.

Last year, 90,000 tourists from Hong Kong visited Malaysia, bringing in about RM540mil to tourism coffers.

Their favourite destinations are Langkawi and Kota Kinabalu because these places have a variety of fascinating natural attractions and high-class accommodation, good food and excellent shopping, said Tourism Malaysia Hong Kong bureau head Zaleha Zainuddin.

“Hong Kong tourists are big spenders. They travel a lot every year and they spend a huge amount of money in places that they visit because they enjoy high-class luxury and comfort. They want top-quality services and products always. They have the money to pay for all these luxuries.

“They enjoy the good life. They love to go to spas and pamper themselves with good things,” she said in an interview.

Zaleha has been here for the past few days to visit the city and Mulu with a group of Hong Kong tour promoters and journalists.

They were invited by the Sarawak Tourism Board and Malaysia Airlines to visit northern Sarawak following last week’s launch of the Hong Kong-Miri flight services.

Zaleha said her office wants to give more publicity to states like Sarawak, which have not been given extensive exposure in Hong Kong as yet.

Hong Kong Golden Holidays company manager Kevin Law said Hong Kong folk loved seafood and exotic dishes like bird's nest.

“Hong Kong people believe that these sort of exotic food give them energy. They are very willing to spend to enjoy these nice things,” he said.

Asked on what his compatriots sought the most during their travels, he said they wanted plenty of sun, fun, comfort, relaxation and food and drinks.

Source : STAR
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel vmy2007]

MAS to start flying from Miri to HK

Malaysia Airlines (MAS) will start a four times a week flight from Miri to Hong Kong with a transit in Kota Kinabalu starting May 3, Sarawak Assistant Infrastructure Development and Communication Minister Lee Kim Shin said

He said the new route would at least serve as a first step for Miri to become a popular tourist destination, especially for visitors from Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and the Philippines.

He said MAS would also offer promotional fares for the new route and local tourism players were expected to carry out tourism product promotion in Hong Kong

Source : STAR
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel vmy2007]

New Trend with Hong Kong's Boutique Hotels

Hong Kong’s boutique hotels are fast becoming a favourite with tourists and business travellers.

Any frequent visitor to Hong Kong would be familiar with this question: “Where are you staying?”

In a city where space is at a premium, you certainly would want to have a good answer at hand. Making a good impression, after all, counts for nearly everything here.

But that’s not too difficult these days. Boutique establishments have become all the rage, starting with JIA Hong Kong, the Philippe Starck-designed hotel in Causeway Bay, formerly a boarding house.

The reason the boutique hotel phenomenon has taken off is simple: the compact nature of the city has given rise to interesting buildings that are just waiting to be recreated into glamorous establishments targeted at the jet set.

By definition, any hotel that has less than 200 rooms is considered a boutique hotel, and many investors have had the sense to completely transform former office blocks into towering visions of what’s cool, fun and profitable.

The Luxe Manor
39, Kimberley Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 3763 8888
Fax: +852 3763 8899
www.theluxemanor.com

Funky and modern

The Luxe Manor in Tsim Sha Tsui (room rates start at HK$1,800 (RM806) per night for a premier room) is like a walk on the wild side when it comes to interior design. Created by David Buffery, the person responsible for many of Hong Kong’s hippest nightspots, including the Scandinavian restaurant FINDS, The Luxe Manor is a modern interpretation of a European mansion with mystical and surreal art elements thrown in for good measure.

Funky: A deluxe room (above) and the Aspasia restaurant (below) in The Luxe Manor.

“Its uniqueness contrasts with the predictability of the chain hotels in the area,” explains Buffery.

The hotel is undeniably funky: its 153 rooms and six themed suites are conversation starters. It has a setting that’s simultaneously futuristic and classic; for instance, the television in a room is placed within a framed mirror above a faux fireplace.

The hotel’s central location in the busy Knutsford Terrace area is perfect for shopaholics who like their creature comforts. What does one do after hitting the shops? Retreat to your private enclave where you’ll be “stimulated by your surroundings”, of course.

Better yet, sample the culinary mastery of Chef Roland Schuller at the hotel’s Italian eatery, Aspasia. Formerly the executive chef aboard the late Aristotle Onassis’ yacht, The Christina O, Schuller has worked in some of the most acclaimed kitchens in the world. The restaurant also features original Italian art works.

Highlight: A high-tech haven. In-room technology includes NXTV’s Interactive Infotainment System viewable through an LCD Flat Panel, high-definition video on demand, wireless VoIP telephony and wireless broadband throughout the hotel.

Lan Kwai Fong Hotel
3, Kau U Fong Central, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 3650 0000
Fax: +852 3650 0088
www.lankwaifonghotel.com.hk

China chic

For those seeking a less exuberant place to stay, the Zen-like Lan Kwai Fong Hotel might be a better bet. Room rates start at HK$2,400 (RM1,075) for a city-view room. Not to be mistaken with Hotel LKF on Wyndham Street, this little gem on the corner of Kau U Fong and Aberdeen Street in the Soho (South of Hollywood Road) area is interesting.

Restful: A harbour view room at the Lan Kwai Fong Hotel.

Buddha statues, lotus-shaped lights and water features greet jet-lagged guests at the lobby, while the rooms are like an Oriental oasis, replete with soothing fragrances. The surrounding streets are an intriguing mix of antique shops, cool bars, neighbourhood restaurants, and legendary food stalls.

The162 guest rooms and suites are decorated in an Oriental vein that never veers towards the garish. Think lacquered cups, ornate woodwork, breathtaking views of harbour and city. Now couple this with sleek chrome finishing in the balcony area of the suites.

The result: a compelling experience that’s quintessentially Hong Kong.

The lobby at the Lan Kwai Fong Hotel.

While the design scheme of The Luxe Manor centres on modern art concepts, Lan Kwai Fong Hotel is utterly Asian in nature. Each establishment has something unique to offer guests who are perhaps a little tired of the cookie-cutter (albeit luxurious) five-star hotel chains.

Highlight: The location. Whether you like to eat, party or just soak in the Hong Kong atmosphere, you’ll be hard pressed to find a hotel that is close by to nearly everything. The new H&M superstore is a mere five-minute walk away.

The Fleming
41, Fleming Road, Wan Chai
Hong Kong
Tel: +852 3607 2288
Fax: +852 3607 2299
www.thefleming.com.hk

Spy style

Wan Chai, Hong Kong’s bustling business and entertainment district, was once the setting for a James Bond movie. Intrigue comes thick and fast amidst the crowd and numerous watering holes, so perhaps it’s appropriate that the place should spout The Fleming.

Modern: The Fleming's executive room. — MARK LEAN

Tucked away on a secluded side-street, The Fleming (room rates start at HK$1,500 (RM672) for a superior room) is a stone’s throw away from the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The modern artwork in the lobby hints at what lies in store in the rooms. Contemporary in design, its 66 rooms are equipped with plasma television, wireless broadband Internet and cordless phone with voicemail service.

Pastel hues dominate the colour scheme. Rooms in the higher floors have great views of the harbour.

The Fleming is the only hotel in Hong Kong that boasts a female-only floor, perfect for female travellers who place value on safety and privacy. The rooms here are specially equipped with amenities for the ladies, like a beauty kit and jewellery box. Facial steamers and leg massage machines are available upon request. The mini bar is stocked with a selection of herbal teas and special snacks.

Managing director John K. Hui, who travels “week-in, week-out, to and fro, nine months a year”, says they are aiming for a home-away-from-home experience at The Fleming.

Highlight: The spacious rooms decked out in the most modern designs. Understated and cosy, The Fleming is Hong Kong’s answer to what a chic urban lifestyle hotel should be.

Source : STAR
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel vmy2007]