Review: Kerry Hotel Hong Kong
The Kerry Hotel Hong Kong in Hung Hom Bay is located directly at the Pearl River and offers endless views of the sea and Hong Kong Island. Find everything you need to know in our hotel review.
The smooth water reflects the skyline of Hong Kong Island, disrupted only when the ferry makes its way from Hung Hom to North Point. Then it slides through the Pearl River in a dignified and charming manner, blowing black smoke through the thick chimneys and honking her arrival melody.
The best way to observe this is from the terrace of the Kerry Hotel, which is located in Kowloon, the District of Hong Kong, which is more of a quaint than the modern brother on the other side of Victoria Harbour. The Kerry Hotel is so close to sea-tight that you can really taste the salt in the air. It does not take much to be happy: maybe a cold drink on the terrace. The rest is done by the unique view and the sea breeze in your hair while the everyday life of Hong Kong passes by.
The first impression of the Kerry Hotel Hong Kong
Above the reception of the Kerry Hotel, sits a wavy and futuristic-looking building that shines from afar and is hard to miss. It seems neither overloaded nor absolutely captivating. Actually quite the opposite. Located directly along the promenade of Kowloon, it seems as if it had always been here.
The completely glazed exterior facade is enhanced by green elements that make the ship look like a small urban gardening project. Round box trees grow along with fancy monstera leaves and are topped only by orchids in bright colors. Kerry Hotel is a masterpiece of architecture and one that, even at the first footprint of the building, will get you carried away by proper holiday feelings and a tingling sensation through the body.
The concept
As a member of the Shangri-la Group, Kerry Hotel is called “Urban Lifestyle Resort”. However, it is much more than that. It combines the feeling and atmosphere of an actual five star hotel with hip coolness that can be felt in the hotel’s street food market or while sipping on a cocktail on the terrace of the bar. It can also be put right into the luxury and upscale category if you look into its large rooms with their chic design pieces and into the hotel’s club where sparkling wine and salmon sandwiches are being served. What it does best, however, is mixing the luxurious feels with a super chic and cool atmosphere.
Kerry Hotel is a place for families wishing to wander between the pool and colorful buffet lunch. It is also a place for couples to start the day with a coffee in bed and end it with a sunset cocktail on the terrace. In addition, Kerry Hotel is also a hotel that helps business travellers getting rid of their stress when challenging the treadmill in the morning and relaxing in the dignified atmosphere at the club where they can have a quick dinner before starting the next day, working at the hotel’s very own coworking space. Urban, hip and yet upscale – this is what Kerry Hotel stands for. For us it is a 24-hour oasis of well-being for all senses and tastes.
Besides the Kerry Hotel Hong Kong in Hung Hom, there are also the Kerry Hotel Beijing and the Kerry Hotel Shanghai.
The location
Kerry Hotel is located on Kowloon, which is often referred to as Hong Kong’s “dark side”. But there is nothing dark here – it’s quite the opposite. The hotel is right on the promenade and is a stone’s throw away from the water. In recent years, the still quite unknown district of Hung Hom has become an important district for the younger population of Hong Kong. Here, traditional food stalls can be found right next to cafes celebrating the art of slow coffee. In between, locals perform their daily run round, cycle up and down the promenade or hop onto the First Ferry, which takes them directly to Hong Kong Island.
The flair
If you were to describe the hotel as a fragrance, then it would probably be the smell of summer, paired with a bit of sunscreen and fresh flowers – this is how airy, easy and relaxing hotel is, despite its size and despite the fact that it is nowhere near a beach, but in the middle of the Asian metropolis Hong Kong. Holidays in the middle of this big city? Sure thing!
Thanks to its enormous windows and simple decoration elements, you hardly have the feeling of being in a hotel. Rather, Kerry Hotel feels like a kind of club or like the belly and deck of a ship that always draws a fresh sea breeze.
The arrival
The large lobby at Kerry Hotel resembles the deck of a ship. The windows align from the ceiling to the floor and give lots of light to the huge room. The lobby is bright, airy and quiet – even if the numerous seating options are almost completely occupied.
Priority guests of the Shangri-la group (or anyone who chooses the club surcharge at the time of booking) will first be directed to the hotel’s Club Lounge. Here the check-in starts with a fresh espresso and a cool cloth. Once the passports have been handed over for check-in, you can wander through the small snack buffet and enjoy the view of the glittering sea and sailing boats while crunching a tomato-mozzarella-ciabatta.
The rooms
All 546 rooms at Kerry Hotel have been designed and furnished by local and internationally renowned architect Andre Fu. They also follow the overall concept of a hotel: spaciousness. With room sizes from 42 to 294 square meters, they are way beyond the average of rooms in Hong Kong.
The first impression in rooms conveys brightness due to big window fronts. They also look clean in terms of design, well thought-out in terms of technology and comfortable in terms of the choice of gray sofas and white armchairs.
One would like to sit at the window all day and watch the ferries and boats on sea. The Victoria Harbor-facing rooms at Kerry Hotel offer the perfect view of the Hong Kong Island skyline and probably the most relaxing place for a small work session.
The cuisine
Culinary highlights are not only big at the Kerry Hotel, but also fully lived here. There are four restaurants, plus a bar with an open terrace and sea-view. A special highlight is the hotel’s street food area “Dockyard”, where nine young, international chefs cook the coolest dishes and where you can eat in an industrial atmosphere with hip-hop beats.
A very exclusive breakfast and snack feeling is given at the Club. Every morning there is not only a separate breakfast, but also a tea time in the afternoon with tea, cakes, savory snacks and alcoholic as well as non-alcoholic drinks.
But even outside the Club Lounge, your morning starts with culinary delights: at the buffet of the Big Bay Café. Here you can walk through all of Asia in just a few steps. It goes past Hong Kong Dumplings, Japanese Miso Soup, Indonesian fried rice and into the endless spices of China. European hearts will make aerial leaps at the Smoothie Bar, enjoy fresh carrot-ginger-kale juice and be overwhelmed by the cheese counter or by the tasty and above all freshly sliced ham. By the way, the lunch buffet in the Big Bay Café is a stunner too.
When the sun slowly sinks into the sea, the terrace of the Red Sugar Bar fills up. It reminds with ancient details, such as bird cages, on the one hand to the old Hung Hom, on the other hand, it resembles a hip industrial loft. From the terrace you have a 270° view of the South China Sea, the Victoria Harbor and across to the other, flashing side of Hong Kong. Relaxed lounge music plays from the speakers, pretty cucumber slices pimp the gin and tonics and and laughter swings from one of the lounge areas hidden behind hidden bushes. Cheers Hong Kong! We are sure, that during sunset hour this is a perfect moment in which goose bumps tingle all over your arms.
After sunset, when the Hong Kong skyline begins to glitter, guests at the Kerry Hotel are given the choice: high-profile and above all traditional food in the Chinese restaurant Hung Tong or hip market activities at the street food stalls in the Dockyard? The best decision: definitely try both!
The uniqueness
When the ferry docks at the small terminal, the Kerry Hotel Hong Kong shines from afar. You’ll quickly notice the many green plants in the courtyard of the hotel, swaying from right to left and the special atmosphere that surrounds the hotel.
Taking a closer look, however, something else becomes visible: an infinity pool, which is slightly raised and designed so that you never want to leave it after the first hop in. At the edge of the pool Hong Kong Island is so close, you might think, you would swim in the South China Sea. Right next to it are loungers, on which a sultry Hong Kong afternoon is quite bearable.
Behind the pool area lays a challenger of weaknesses: the fitness area, which is also anything but normal. Jump on a bike or a treadmill and exercise while watching daily life in Hong Kong pass by. From here, you’ll have the best possible views of Hong Kong.
The special thing about Kerry Hotel Hong Kong in Hung Hom is a mélange of details that make it perfect for a business trip, a city trip or even a couple’s holiday in Hong Kong. At the hotel’s co-working space you can work for a small fee and enjoy being amidst of the Hong Kong start-up scene, at noon there is ice cream for the little ones, in the afternoon gym classes take place and in the evening a glass of sparkling wine can best be enjoyed at the VIP lounge, on the terrace of the Red Baron Bar.
The last impression
A last look back at Kerry Hotel Hong Kong from the ferry leaves a queasy feeling in the stomach. A last look at the window front revives the memories of the comfortable bed, the view of the glittering skyline and the morning with coffee on a couch. One last look at the pool area makes the sun tingle on the nose tip one last time. If you think it’s impossible that the farewell to a hotel could ever be difficult, you are about to learn it was an error from now on.
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