Timeless luxury: How Hong Kong’s heritage hotels are adapting to the modern traveller

In a city where the old is often demolished to give way to shinier replacements, a few Hong Kong heritage hotels have steadfastly kept themselves on the city’s skyline against the ravages of time.

Opened as decade markers in the past 40 years, Regent Hong Kong, Island Shangri-la, Hong Kong and Lanson Place Causeway Bay could have faded off as tired offerings that have trudged through time. After massive, multi-million-dollar renovations, they are now swanky bases for your retail and dining exploits in the city.

The transformation went beyond aesthetics to include a botanical-themed urban wellness retreat, spectacular apartment-like penthouses and well-appointed family floors — all in line with the current traveller emphasis on health, family and “bleisure” arrangements. Popular dining venues that have appealed to generations of locals and tourists alike were wisely left untouched but updated in their menus, holding their own in the hearts of regulars while gaining ground with a younger set.

Check into these stylish, storied options the next time you’re in the Fragrant Harbour.

ISLAND SHANGRI-LA, HONG KONG

Located next to Pacific Place mall, the 56-storey Island Shangri-La first opened in March 1991. After renovations were completed in 2024, its 544 rooms and suites now ooze functional chic where nature-inspired furnishings and seamless technology meet. Think: Charging stations and wireless charging pads hidden in bedside tables and pantry taps that can dispense either cold or boiling water.

The new Yun Wellness is a foliage-filled urban retreat where traditional spa treatments are bolstered by technology and therapies to support emotional and mental rejuvenation. There’s more than muscle-kneading available; pilates, yoga and resistance training classes, along with physiotherapy and even nutrition consultation, are part of the menu to ensure an all-round decompress.

Curbing calories will be a futile effort with nine F&B options available. The egg tarts and milk tea from the breakfast buffet at all-day diner Cafe Too are irresistible. At Steakhouse Lobster Bar and Grill, it’s impeccable classics like steak tartare, grilled Boston lobster, beef wellington and sticky toffee pudding washed down with creative cocktails and fine wines, to the stirring strains of live jazz every night.

Ming Pavilion serves stand-out Fujian cuisine such as Xiamen-style popiah with locally sourced Oldham bamboo shoots and carrots infused in a rich pork and seafood broth; aromatic steamed mud crab and glutinous rice served in a bamboo container; and creamy-smooth orh nee (sweet taro paste) with Japanese pumpkin.

The entire 45th floor is a family haven. Everything from sterilisers to strollers are provided so you only have to bring the munchkins, who will be thrilled to frolic in any of the 21 one- to three-bedroom suites designed like mini playgrounds. There are slides, glow-in-the-dark features and even a bunk bed shaped like the iconic Hong Kong green tram.

The trump card though is the opulent 2,368 sq ft Shangri-La Suite with a marble bathtub big enough for two people and a chinoiserie-chic dining room with a 12-seater table. Bonus points for the Rolls-Royce Phantom transfer and an intuitive butler who made a perfectly warm bubble bath to delivering a tray of milk tea and egg tarts just as I was thinking about them.

REGENT HONG KONG

After a four-year renovation, the former InterContinental hotel re-emerged from the dust in 2023, all coiffed up under its original Regent branding.

The grand dame that opened in 1980 feels like an art museum now, a fitting addition to the Kowloon stretch that includes the Hong Kong Museum of Art and West Kowloon’s M+ and Palace Museum.

Hong Kong designer Chi Wing Lo juxtaposed the hotel’s storied history with its contemporary present through a variety of art forms. Lit glass-brick screens and a translucent onyx check-in counter glow at the lobby while the guest rooms and common corridors are decorated with oculus-themed installations, paintings and lighting.

In the rooms and suites are expansive windows and interiors dressed in soothing neutral palettes and soft, curved furnishings. The 1,076 sq ft Harbourview Corner Suite is especially compelling with the spacious living rooms and huge round bathtubs that soak in panoramic waterfront views.

Its signature CEO, Terrace and Presidential Suites are the jaw-droppers. Ranging from 4,101 sq ft to nearly 7,000 sq ft, they are all celebration and proposal ready with private outdoor terraces, whirlpools and gorgeous harbour views.

Two Michelin-starred Lai Ching Heen, helmed by executive chef Lau Yiu-Fai since the restaurant opened in 1984, remains a beloved celebratory and ladies-who-lunch spot. The signatures include a crab shell stuffed with a savoury filling of milk, onion and crab meat, as well as fried rice where flavours of roast duck, chicken, crabmeat, conpoy and bamboo shoot fills the air as I unwrapped the lotus leaf it was tightly ensconced in. Ask the experienced and friendly tea sommeliers for pairing suggestions from their extensive tea menu, which includes exclusive in-house and collaborative brews with local tea specialists. Steak and seafood lovers will like the variety at The Steak House, including selected artisanal cuts from Japanese Kagoshima and Korean Hanwoo to Spanish Cazurra. End the night with knockout cocktails at Qura Bar, where the atmosphere is lively and the waterfront views are unparalleled.

LANSON PLACE CAUSEWAY BAY

A 2005 opening, Lanson Place Causeway Bay took on a more residential air when it reopened in March 2024 after a 16-month renovation. French designer Pierre-Yves Rochon maximised natural lighting and space, infusing the communal areas and the rooms with soft hues, Art Deco elements and pastel palettes. Even the 24-hour laundry room and fitness centre are done up in a calming light wood palette.

At 446 sq ft to 500 sq ft, including sitting areas in some units, the entry level guest rooms are snug pads — remember to leave the large suitcases at home. For a copious amount of space, book one of the six new penthouse residences, available in one- to two-bedroom configurations ranging from 900 sq ft to 2,000 sq ft.  All the trappings of a comfortable yet practical home-away-from-home are there: A kitchenette with a full-sized fridge, freezer and dishwasher and amenities such as washer-dryer and Dyson amenities.

The hotel also provides personal shopping services at the Dior store in the nearby Lee Garden One mall as well as complimentary Rimowa suitcase cleaning services. For those who want to explore the neighbourhood, Lanson Place has a curated digital guide with interesting streets like indie haunt Haven Street and old-school eatery enclave Caroline Hill. And if you want to step back in time, you can rent a qipao — partner boutique Yan Shang Kee has options for men, women and children — and go on a “ding ding” tram tour from Sheung Wan to Causeway Bay, finishing off with a cocktail inspired by The World of Suzie Wong movie at the hotel’s Salon Lanson bar