View of Victoria Harbour from my room on the 22nd floor at the Peninsula Hong Kong, a hotel that pushed all my buttons (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Last week I took a two-day trip on Cathay Pacific’s new A350 between San Francisco and Hong Kong. While the airline has had the plane for two years, the SFO-HKG flight is the first A350 nonstop to/from the US. (Stay tuned for my Trip Report about that flight.)
One of the nice things about jumping on one of these inaugural flights is that the airline usually teams up with a local hotel to accommodate media guests– and show off their properties.
In this case, the hotel partner was the renowned Peninsula Hong Kong, the hotel in which I stayed on my first trip to Asia in 1992.
While it’s the oldest hotel in town, it has definitely kept up with the times. For example, this ever-evolving grande dame added a brand new tower with a hip club in the penthouse and a helipad on the roof back in 1994. It had to in order to keep up with the frenetic pace of the city’s luxury hotel market.
This Peninsula has also kept up with in room technology– so much so that I’m going to devote a whole post to all the buttons I pushed in my room on the 22nd floor overlooking Victoria Harbour. Rooms at the Peninsula typically go for about $500 per night, but I was a guest of the house there for two nights.
I’m a lifelong button pusher. Just ask my parents. I was the kid who could not get in the car without pushing all the buttons or turning all the dials just to see what happened. In electronics stores, I poked and pulled every button I could find. And at the grocery store, the button on top of a can of shaving foam was irresistible.
So I was immediately hooked as I walked into my room at the Peninsula this time and counted about 20 buttons to push. Seriously. All of them quietly, elegantly beckoning me. Here’s a rundown– and a look at my plush room:
Entry with key
A big round button read my room key (Chris McGinnis)
Light switch at entry
Right by the door is the button for the foyer light, the master switch for the entire room, plus buttons for housekeeping, messages, do not disturb, a service call, and even a quick check of the weather as you head out the door. (Chris McGinnis)
Shoe bin
Next to the door is a bin where guests place their shoes to be shined. Attendants access the bin from a separate door in the hallway when you press this button to alert them (Chris McGinnis)
Bathroom light switch.
What’s nice about this switch is its simplicity– just what you need when waking up in the middle of the night. Even better is that the switch is a rheostat- lights turn on dim, and the longer you hold the button down, the brighter it gets (Chris McGinnis)
The Bathroom
The Peninsula’s luscious all-marble bathroom has two sinks, an oval tub, separate shower & toilet, lots of mirrors and buttons, too! (Chris McGinnis)
Sink switches
Mounted on the mirror next to the sink is a control panel that does all kinds of things for you like brightening the light, turning off the bathroom TV or radio, adjusting volume. You can turn off the phone if you’d like and turn on do not disturb if you can’t answer the door. Time and date, too for early jetlagged risers who can’t remember what day it is 🙂 (Chris McGinnis)
Hands free phone
Above the sinkside control panel is this hands free phone just in case that call to close the deal comes in while you are brushing your teeth (Chris McGinnis)
Bathtub video– watch and listen to what happens when I push the SPA button
Bathtub buttons
Endless array of buttons next to the bathtub, including time/date, privacy, a full suite of music selections, a dimmer, the all important SPA button and an emergency call button (Chris McGinnis)
I could have had room service delivered at the touch of a button but opted instead for a mango parfait by the dramatic pool deck (Chris McGinnis)
Vanity/magnifying mirror button for day and night
The button on the vanity mirror switches between daylight and evening light settings (Chris McGinnis)
Toilet buttons
While it does not come close to the number of buttons on a Japanese toilet, you can control phone, room privacy and make an emergency call (Chris McGinnis)
Safe buttons
Nothing special about the safe, but it’s more buttons to push! (Chris McGinnis)
Room main switch
Enter the bedroom, and there’s a simple switch by the door for room lights, air conditioning fan and temperature controls. Again, what I like here is that it’s easy to understand- no electrical engineering degree required (Chris McGinnis)
The room
A cushy king bed with the softest pillows ever. Each room has a delicate laser cut bronze peach blossom work in the wall – each one is different (Chris McGinnis)
Bedside tablet- there are two of these tablets in the room- one by the bed, the other on the desk. Both can be removed from their docks to be used anywhere.
This bedside tablet controls everything in the room accessed by menu buttons at the top. It can open and close curtains, operate the 46-inch flat screen TV, set wake up calls, moderate temperature, call the valet, check the weather and choose from a broad in-room music menu. It can be customized into 11 languages. It’s also the bedside clock. Next to that is the cordless phone. (Chris McGinnis)
Bedside light switch
A switch like this on both sides of the bed controls reading lights and overhead lights (Chris McGinnis)
A nice, easy to understand TV remote is nice, but duplicative since the tablet controls the TV, too (Chris McGinnis)
Make up mirror up and down on and off.
Across from the bed a shiny wooden vanity has a pop-top button- push it and a mirror pops up. Push it again and it goes back down (Chris McGinnis)
Nail dryer buttons!
Tucked into a drawer in the vanity is this portable nail dryer. Push the button on the top, slip your fingers underneath and you’ll feel a nice gentle breeze. (Chris McGinnis)
Coffee maker
Push this button for a quick cup of espresso to beat back the jet lag! (Chris McGinnis)
Desk power
This power and data bar pops up and retracts into the desktop when you push the button on the top (Chris McGinnis)
Curtains sheers/black outs
There are two of these curtain buttons- one opens and closes the sheers, the other opens and closes a black out screen that rolls down from the ceiling (Chris McGinnis)
Two buttons for two functions: sheers and black out both show here (Chris McGinnis)
Phew! That’s a lot of buttons. And a very nice stay. Thank you, Peninsula Hong Kong!
Looking up at old and new at the Peninsula Hong Kong, overlooking Victoria Harbour on the Kowloon side (Chris McGinnis)
What’s the most high-tech hotel you’ve ever stayed at? Your favorite Hong Kong hotel? Please leave your comments below.
Disclosure: I was a guest of the house at the Peninsula Hong Kong for two nights.
Never ever again stay at a Peninsula after horrible service at Shanghai Peninsula. It started with no help from the doormen as I struggled with my luggage and downhill from there. Never again.
Yep, nothing can quite overcome the brutal reality of time zones….
Sweet! Thanks for your comments and cool you took almost the same trip I did. Nice trip but just two days over and back was pretty brutal on the body even tho the plane and hotel were exceptional.
This is what I admire most about the Peninsula brand! Integration of the latest technologies with the most traditional yet comfortable accommodation and simply unbeatable human customer service. I stayed a week in a corner suite in the tower this summer (also after taking the CX 350…from Vancouver) and it was sublime. Iconic views of the harbor as well as views into the depths of Kowloon. A far, far better experience in my view than staying on Hong Kong Island in the 4Seasons….
Wow! Who would have thought that such a grand hotel would have so much technology.
Great review Chris. I’m sold!