Country
China - Hong Kong
City
Hong Kong
Hotel
The Upper House
Notes
The Good
- Complimentary minibar
- Free and fast Wi-Fi
- Spacious rooms
The Bad
- Lacks a pool or spa
X-Factor
- The smallest rooms rival HK apartment sizes
Introduction
How does a boutique hotel differentiate itself in arguably one of the most competitive hotel markets in the world? The Upper House offers massive rooms, personalised service, and well thought-out amenities to make a compelling argument for your next business trip to Hong Kong.
Part of a handful of hotels call The House Collective and owned by Swire (the majority owner of Cathay Pacific), The Upper House has some impressive backing.
Location & Impressions
Perched high above the Pacific Place shopping complex near Hong Kong's Admiralty MTR station is arguably the island's best hotel: The Upper House.
Its rooms occupy floors 38 to 48 above the JW Marriott in the same building, although each hotel has its own entry.
Admiralty MTR station is just one stop from Central, as well as a single stop across Victoria Harbour to Tsim Sha Tsui. The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre as well as Hong Kong Park are also in comfortable walking distance.
When you first arrive at The Upper House, you’re greeted by a ‘Stone Curtain’ created by Thomas Heatherwick – it's the first of many superb design features which set the tone for the hotel.
Room
We stayed in a Studio 80 room, however The Upper House does offer a lower tier room, as well as an option for a Suite and a Penthouse.
While the smallest Studio 70 rooms are still an impressive 68m2, the Studio 80 rooms come in at 78m2, while the Suites and Penthouses are 114m2 and 182m2 respectively.
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These are some of the biggest hotel rooms in Hong Kong, and the feeling of spaciousness is only compounded by the sweeping views of Victoria Harbour and the mountain.
For business travellers, the rooms feature plenty of working space as well as large sofas for relaxing.
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There's a very comfortable king size bed...
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...and a separate wardrobe room.
But perhaps the most impressive feature of The Upper House's rooms are their sprawling bathrooms, featuring walk-in rain showers...
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...and a magnificent freestanding limestone bath tub with views looking out towards the Hong Kong skyline.
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Inside the bathrooms you’ll find amenities from REN, including things like mouthwash and a shaving kit so that you don’t have to call down to housekeeping after a long flight.
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Also unique is the offer of an airline style amenity kit, containing more essentials and REN products.
One of our biggest gripes with a number of luxury hotels is the excessive charges for in-room amenities – The Upper House does away with this thanks to free wired and wireless high-speed internet, as well as a complimentary ‘maxi’ bar that includes free snacks, soft drinks and beer. Only wines and spirits are charged, and the fridge is replenished twice daily.
The rooms also feature an espresso machine – perfect for late nights or early mornings while you’re on the run.
Work
The spacious desk facing the window is more than large enough to get work done and the complimentary in-room wireless internet is blazing fast.
With The Upper House’s convenient location it’s a breeze to hop on the MTR to the CBD or further afield, making it a great base for a business trip on the main island.
While there’s no dedicated business centre, there is a lounge on the 49th floor that’s perfect for catching up on emails – any minor tasks like faxing or printing are happily carried out by the lounge staff on request (but be aware that this area can sometimes be closed for private events).
Eat
Within The Upper House is Café Gray Deluxe, a stunning restaurant and bar located on the 49th floor with views over Victoria Harbour.
Café Gray Deluxe is headed up by Gray Kunz, and while it may have lost its Michelin star in recent years, it’s still a superb dining experience.
Morning breakfast is also taken at Café Gray Deluxe, where you can select from a number of set menus. Try the greek yogurt and mango-papaya salad (pictured) or the short rib eggs beendict.
Hong Kong’s plethora of eating establishments means that there are a wide array of restaurants and eateries nearby.
Relax
Upper House ticks a lot of boxes for us, but it does fall behind a little in the relaxation department.
If you typically like to combine your business trips with some lounging by the pool, you'll be disappointed to find that there is none. There's also no spa, but you can opt for an in-room massage offered by the hotel. A private outdoor terrace off the main hotel lobby is also a nice spot to relax.
Summary
The Upper House is a fantastic option for business travellers – its main asset, the huge rooms, are well appointed and laid out, and end up being a truly relaxing oasis in the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong. While many hotels claim they are a "home away from home", we truly felt this was the case here.
The writer stayed as a guest of The Upper House
James has been interested in aviation ever since his first flight. When he’s not travelling, he’s still on the road indulging his motoring hobby, or trying a new whisky.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
08 Sep 2012
Total posts 236
Great review James and welcome to AusBT!
I've stayed at their sister property 'East' which is also worth checking out. It's 4 star but with many of the design elements that the Upper House use, esp bathroom design and general spaciousness.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
23 Oct 2013
Total posts 699
The problem I have with the upper house is the price. It looks fancy and gets great reviews everywhere but when its almost $100 more expensive then The Peninsula Hotel Hong Kong then I do start to question just how great it is. Yes the rooms are big but the little things at the Peninsula (and I've stayed at both) like a printer in every room make it a much better hotel. The location of both of them are a bit out of the way and back in December I stayed at the Mandarin Oriental which is ideal for short trips thanks to its proxmity to the Airport Express station.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
25 Jan 2013
Total posts 240
Nice review James. I share your angst with those who charge for internet. Being the accom. biz I've heard a lot people tell hotelliers that they may as well be charging for the water coming out of the tap.
You can apparently get some extra goodies like free breakfast and alike if you are Visa Platinum. Search 'Visa Luxury Hotels Collection', although I usually just book direct.
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