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This article is part of FT Globetrotter’s guide to Hong Kong
For a hotel with only one on-site restaurant, no pool and no spa, Upper House Hong Kong continues to win consistent global critical and public acclaim, 16 years after opening. Any stay quickly reveals why. The thoughtfulness of the service culture combines with striking contemporary design for a distinctive, memorable stay. Such is its success that Swire Hotels, the conglomerate that owns it, has rebranded its existing hotels in Shanghai and Chengdu — as well as future openings in Shenzhen, Xi’an, and Tokyo — under the Upper House name.
Check-in and location
I stayed in the André Fu suite, the booking of which includes a round-trip car service, so I’m greeted at the airport by a concierge and then taken to meet Nelson in his pristine BMW iX. He hands me an iPad and asks me to pick a dish for lunch from the in-room dining menu. As my flight touched down at noon, the hotel team assumes I haven’t eaten, so the food will be in my lodgings on check-in. It’s a small gesture but one I’ve never encountered in a hotel transfer before.
Upper House Hong Kong occupies the top 11 floors of a tower in Pacific Place, a business and high-end retail complex in Admiralty, Hong Kong Island. Even beyond the airport, the arrival experience is unique, especially when compared with the busy, grand marble lobbies of most hotels in the city.
First, its discreet facade means guests could easily walk past without noticing it. On entering, a blink-and-you-miss-it circular desk serves as a combined reception and concierge, largely because the check-in process has been pre-organised and takes place in your room or suite.
To get there, a staff member with an iPad leads you up the escalator — Hong Kong loves escalators more than anywhere — up to a bank of three lifts, the portal to the hotel proper. It’s a conscious, clever transition, removing guests from the busy city to the hushed calm of their temporary new home.
Even the lifts are atypical. Famously impatient Hongkongers love to close elevator doors, but at Upper House there’s only an open button — they shut automatically.
Design
The 117-room (including 21 suites and two penthouses) Upper House is also the antithesis of grand Asian five-star hotels in both appearance and atmosphere, thanks to Hong Kong designer and architect André Fu. He imbued it with an intimate, residential feel, channelling the calm of an elevated home where understated luxury reigns.
Fu’s designs emphasise gentle, soft light and natural tones through the restrained use of materials such as limestone, lacquered paper, bamboo, ash and oak. They not only reflect the hotel’s Hong Kong terroir but also nod to the British heritage of owner Swire Group.
At the apex of Upper House’s range of accommodations comes the almost 2,000 sq ft André Fu Suite, a truly remarkable space in calming mineral blue and pale ivory where up to 18 guests can dine in comfort, an in-suite spa area offers twin massage beds and the bathroom alone is larger than most Hong Kong apartments. In common with the rest of Upper House, the views of Victoria Harbour, Kowloon and beyond are extraordinary. There’s also real design confidence in simple white Peruvian lilies decorating the coffee and dining tables.
There are other thoughtful little touches, such as welcome offerings arranged subject to guests’ preferences. When I arrived, I enjoyed traditional Hong Kong-style welcome snacks including an egg tart and a pineapple bun.
Culture and wellness
Many hotels promise guests immersive cultural programming, but very few can draw the likes of the late Dr Jane Goodall and Christian Louboutin. They are just a few of the public figures to have graced the intimate fireside-space Sky Lounge, as part of the hotel’s signature talk series, Up Close.
Otherwise, the high-ceilinged lounge hosts yoga classes with views over Hong Kong Island’s jungle-clad hills, while curated art and travel tomes offer guests more slow-travel ways to entertain themselves.
Yoga is just one of many wellness experiences at the hotel, which also include gong sound baths, meditation, hyperbaric oxygen therapy and red-light therapy. Although small even by Hong Kong standards, the gym is open 24/7 and rarely busy, while it offers exercise bikes, free weights and great treadmill views over the city below.
Food and drink
Upper House offers only one restaurant, Salisterra, named for salt and earth. Open all day, it offers an elevated take on Mediterranean flavours under the watchful eye of its culinary adviser, chef Ricardo Chaneton of Hong Kong’s Michelin-starred Mono. But guests seeking dim sum or other Cantonese and regional favourites won’t be disappointed, as the menu encompasses a world of flavours, especially at breakfast. The Green Room bar is home to crafted cocktails, global bar bites and more amazing views.
At a glance: Upper House Hong Kong
Good for: Sublime design, intuitive service and refined relaxation
Not so good for: There is no pool on site, but guests can use the pool at EAST, another Swire Group hotel
Rooms: 117 rooms and suites, starting from a very generous 730 sq ft
Rates: From HK$6,000 ($770/£560)
Address: Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty
Chris Dwyer stayed as a guest of Upper House Hong Kong
Where do you like to stay in Hong Kong? Tell us in the comments below. And follow us on Instagram at @ftglobetrotter
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