PolyU Hong Kong Unveils Name of its Teaching and Research Hotel

With the building now at its full height, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s (PolyU) teaching and research hotel has been named Hotel ICON. PolyU unveiled a plan five years ago to develop a teaching and research hotel for its School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) with an aim to further enhancing the School’s world-leading position in hospitality and tourism education as well as embracing the strong demand for its further contribution to Hong Kong, the region, and the world. As the anticipation builds for Hotel ICON’s grand opening later this year, the future is well and truly underway in Tsim Sha Tsui East, Hong Kong.

SHTM Director and Chair Professor Kaye Chon said, “We believe that having Hotel ICON for the School is in line with the practice of top hospitality and tourism schools in the world. The School is widely recognised as a leader in the region and was recently ranked number two in the world based on research and scholarly activities. But the challenges and opportunities ahead are huge and we are determined to do even better. We are confident that the international status of the School as a world-class institution will be further strengthened through the success of Hotel ICON.”

With a tag line of “being brilliant together”, Mr Richard Hatter, General Manager of Hotel ICON, emphasised that “how we involve the faculty and students with the hotel is a very key aspect of what I’m setting up”. “It’s all about people”, he said, giving his position a much wider frame of reference. “The people we train, the people we employ and the people we look after.” Indeed, what Mr Hatter is setting up will help enhance work-integrated education and research in hospitality management and help attract high-quality students as well as teaching staff from around the world. Hotel ICON’s convenient location will also facilitate partnership with the industry and education institutions on both local and international levels.

Taking a holistic approach to student learning and development, plans are currently being made to determine how many students will be able to complete their Work-Integrated Education requirements at the hotel, with the likelihood that up to 100 could be proudly serving as Hotel ICON interns when operations get underway. Another 50 will be working with the opening team in the second half of this year. “On top of the placement opportunities offered in Hotel ICON,” Professor Chon added, “we will continue to arrange placements with hotels at home and abroad to ensure the broad exposure of our students.”

PolyU is confident that Hotel ICON will be a great boost to the School’s long-term development. “Apart from the advantage of having various teaching and research facilities, offices, conference facilities and restaurants under one roof in an excellent location,” Prof Chon remarked, “we look forward to having innovative research facilities to experiment with such areas as design, infrastructure and services in a hotel.” Indeed, another significant aspect of Hotel ICON will be its prototype guest rooms. Developed in a joint effort between SHTM and various departments within PolyU, the rooms will be yet another way of fulfilling the university’s aim of being the place “where innovation meets application.”

Speaking of how the hotel concept is being refined, Mr Hatter said that it would tailor-make an experience for its guests. And one way in which that will be achieved will be through dedicated prototype guest rooms used to develop and showcase new technologies and hotel designs. Not only will guests benefit, but the rooms will allow further research into and the application of advanced concepts in hotel management fashioned to make possible a more sustainable future. “The best way to predict the future,” said Mr Hatter, “is to create it.” As always, SHTM is looking to the future, today.

Where Innovations in Hospitality Enrich World Experiences

Standing tall at 28 stories, Hotel ICON offers 262 beautifully-appointed guest rooms including 165 Deluxe Rooms, 68 Deluxe Rooms on the Club Floors, 26 Suites and 3 Prototype rooms. Most rooms showcase spectacular view of the Victoria Harbour framed by the stunning skyline of the Hong Kong Island. The prototype guest rooms will be the platform to develop and showcase new technologies and hotel designs, as well as to research and apply advanced business concepts in hotel management. With strong dedication to help build a sustainable future, the Hotel strives to identify technologies, systems and best practices that help create a better future for the community.

An environmentally friendly approach has been adopted wherever possible at Hotel ICON. This principle has applied to all elements of the Hotel, from selecting the materials to the use of local suppliers and insulating the building in a modern way. A truly eco-friendly organization, the building is partially powered by solar energy.

The components of this monumental hotel have to be refined by a team of world-renowned architects and designers, including Sir Terence Conran from the United Kingdom, Rocco Yim of Rocco Design Architects Ltd from Hong Kong, and Patrick Blanc, the botanist and Vertical Garden designer from France. Delivering appetizing international flavours complemented with impeccable service, Hotel ICON provides a meeting venue of prestige and convenience as well as the best training ground for SHTM students. With a “Silver Box” ballroom that can be configured to accommodate a wide range of events, one lecture hall and five multi-function meeting rooms, students will be learning everything about meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions, as well as weddings and events.

Another crucial feature of the hotel’s design will be the Club Floor. Intent on providing “a destination unto itself in the hotel”, PolyU has contracted Conran and Partners, a renowned architecture and design consultancy, to create just the right ambiance. The floor will have a variety of active and passive zones, with Mr Hatter describing a “very interesting space” that would be “unlike any hotel I’ve ever worked in”. It will include a reception area, a restaurant overlooking Victoria Harbour, a lounge, bar, private rooms of different sizes, a multifunction dining and meeting room, a wine cellar and kitchen. The mix of business will be very international, with a dominant Asian aspect.

Mr Hatter also pointed to the importance of the Club as an educational venue. He explained that the very best SHTM students would be able to gain experience in the Club that would be invaluable when they enter the job market. In a broader sense, he said “we want students to be empowered to have an experience in a top notch hotel”.

The Hotel is completed with a health Club, an outdoor heated swimming pool and an Angsana Spa by Banyan Tree to provide a comprehensive deluxe hotel experience.

Focal Point of Hong Kong Culture, Arts and Gastronomy

Set within Tsim Sha Tsui East, the most exciting address in town, Hotel ICON is the focal point of Hong Kong culture, arts and gastronomy. For art appreciation and cultural activities, one can visit the Hong Kong Coliseum, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Hong Kong Science Museum or Hong Kong Museum of History in the vicinity. For endless choices of shopping, factory outlets along the nearby Granville Road are a must for bargain hunters. Canton Road, another shopping haven nearby, is the perfect place to browse for international and local designer wears.

For gourmands, the Hotel presents exquisite gastronomy enhanced by immaculate service. Designed by the world famous Conran & Partners, the Hotel’s exclusive private members’ facility on the 28th floor occupies the entire top floor of the Hotel’s gleaming glass tower offering more than swanky meeting venues and a lounge for members, suite patrons and guests staying on the Club floors. This signature private dining club combines panoramic harbour and city views with innovative private rooms and extensive amenities including an intimate winery of a walk-in cellar with lockers for personal stores, in addition to a fantastic restaurant with a master chef, two welcoming bars, a boardroom and private dining lounges.

Great Tastes of Hong Kong are under the spotlight in the restaurant, also designed by Conran & Partners, located on Level 2. Every season, the Hotel carefully put together a variety of local favourite dishes to create a mouth-watering selection featuring fresh ingredients in season. Nothing complicated, using hearty ingredients and straight forward recipes, the kitchen team adds the finest touches to typical Hong Kong delicacies and provides a transcendent experience exceptional to one’s senses. This restaurant gives guests a taste of the cultural memories of Hong Kong, a unique experience that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

An elegant setting featuring a signature patented vertical garden by French botanist and artist Patrick Blanc, the lounge and bar located in the lobby provides a menu of heart-warming comfort food and a soothing atmosphere suitable for breakfast, lunch, high tea or light dinner. Presenting a stunning range of textures, tastes and colours, this ideal place, to see and be seen, brings together gracious hospitality and scrumptious choices. This hip getaway of chic designs and eclectic furnishings also offers a full cocktail menu, premium selection of international wines and liquors.

What the Present Promises and the Future Holds

At Hotel ICON, students are introduced to a fresh interpretation of traditional Asian hospitality. First-hand experience at the Hotel will give the young hopefuls a thorough understanding of consistent high-touch and carefully crafted service. The Hotel shapes the future of hospitality with stylish comfort, intelligent convenience, exceptional value and rock steady reliability, and launches the careers of confident, stylish, responsive and passionate future hoteliers.

With the steadfast support of PolyU, SHTM strives to provide its students with the best learning experience in the best environment. As the School seeks to scale new height and attain higher level of excellence in the years ahead, the stately Hotel Icon will enhance SHTM’s already strong position and help it achieve its goal by giving it the visibility of a world-class institution. Hotel ICON will open late 2010.

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Property: Hotel ICON

Address: No. 17, Science Museum Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East, Hong Kong.
Telephone: (852) 3400 1100
Facsimile: (852) 2722 5561
Opening Date: Late 2010

General Manager: Mr Richard Hatter

Architects: Rocco Design Architects Ltd (/)
Interior Designer: CL3 Architects Ltd (/)
Hotel Logo Designer: Tommy Li (www.tommylidesign.com/)
Restaurants Designer: Terence Conran (/)
Vertical Garden Designer: Patrick Blanc ()
Spa Operator: Angsana Spa (/)

Location: Hotel ICON is a refined world of style conveniently located in Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon, Hong Kong, which is one the most exciting sites in the whole of Hong Kong. The Hotel is at the hub of Hong Kong’s efficient transportation network ensuring easy access to key business addresses. From glamourous shopping arcades to fascinating street markets, cultural heritage sites to entertainment complexes, local restaurants to international clubs, guests are no than 15 minutes away from major attractions. A confluence of traditional and modern Asian cultural, Hotel ICON will bring a fresh interpretation to traditional Asian hospitality.

Airport: The Hong Kong International Airport is only 21 minutes away by the quick and comfortable Airport Express departing to and from the Kowloon Station which is approximately 10 minutes drive away from the Hotel. Trains depart at 12 minutes intervals from 05:50 in the morning to 01:15 after midnight daily. In addition, guests can check in from 90 minutes to a day in advance at the Kowloon Station free of charge.

Railway Terminal: Hung Hom Station, the southern terminus of both the East Rail Line and West Rail Line of the MTR (Mass Transit Railway) system, as well as the terminus of cross-border services with destinations to major cities in China including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Dongguan (Changping), Guangzhou East, Foshan and Zhaoqing, is merely 5 minutes on foot from the Hotel.

Accommodation:

• Overview - Standing tall at 28 stories, Hotel ICON offers 262 beautifully-appointed guest rooms including 165 Deluxe Rooms, 68 Deluxe Rooms on the Club Floors, 26 Suites and 3 Prototype rooms designed for experimenting creative ideas. Eighty percent of the rooms showcase spectacular view of the Victoria Harbour framed in the background by the stunning skyline of the Hong Kong Island.
• Design Aesthetic - The Hotel features chic and stylish interior design complemented with revolutionary technology and intelligent luxuries.
• Room Facilities - Complimentary mini-bar; complimentary wired and Wi-Fi high-speed internet; online Radio Frequency Identification key card; kinematic eco-friendly office table and chair; ultra-slim 40” Ultra High Definition LED TV; interactive IPTV with express check-out functions; docking station with alarm clock for iPhone or iPod; touch-screen all-in-one entertainment remote control; state-of-the-art telephone system; signature luxurious bed; pillow menu with a choice of down, feather and foam pillows; bath tub and a separate rain shower area; amenities with hair dryer, bathrobe and slippers; in-room safe.
• Club-floor and Suites Privileges - Complimentary local calls and facsimiles; in-room multi-function colour laser printer available; discounts on dry cleaning and laundry; exclusive use of the top-floor signature private dining club for personalized check-in and check-out; complimentary continental breakfast and all-day refreshments, as well as evening cocktails with hors d’oeuvre for leisure and business entertainment at the harbour-view private dining club restaurant, lounge and the private rooms.

Food and Beverage:

• Overview - Exquisite gastronomy enhanced by immaculate service.
• On the Top Floor - Designed by the world famous Conran & Partners, the Hotel’s exclusive private members’ facility on the 28th floor occupies the entire top floor of the Hotel’s gleaming glass tower offering more than swanky meeting venues and a lounge for members, suite patrons and guests staying on the Club floors. This signature private dining club combines panoramic harbour and city views with innovative private rooms and extensive amenities including an intimate winery of a walk-in cellar with lockers for personal stores, in addition to a fantastic restaurant with master chefs, two welcoming bars, a boardroom and private dining lounges. Conran & Partners, Sir Terence Conran’s architecture and design studio, is the winner of the prestigious Hotel Design of the Year award at the European Hotel Design awards 2009. Sir Terence Conran also won the Outstanding Contribution to Hotel Design award, acknowledging his work on a variety of hotels including the Boundary in the UK, The Fitzwilliam in Ireland, Das Triest in Austria, The Park Hotels in India, Martinhal in Portugal, and Niki Club in Japan.
• On 2th Floor - Great Tastes of Hong Kong are under the spotlight in the restaurant, also designed by Conran & Partners, located on Level 2. Every season, we carefully put together a variety of local favourite dishes to create a mouth-watering selection featuring fresh ingredients in season. Nothing complicated, using hearty ingredients and straightforward recipes, our kitchen team adds the finest touches to typical Hong Kong delicacies and provides a transcendent experience exceptional to one’s senses. This restaurant gives you a taste of the cultural history and memories of Hong Kong, a unique experience that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
• On Lobby Level - An elegant setting featuring a signature patented vertical garden by French botanist and artist Patrick Blanc, the lounge and bar located in the lobby provides a menu of heart-warming comfort food and a soothing atmosphere suitable for breakfast, lunch, high tea or light dinner. Presenting a stunning range of textures, tastes and colors, this ideal place to see and be seen, brings together gracious hospitality and scrumptious choices. This hip getaway of chic designs and eclectic furnishings also offers a full cocktail menu, premium selection of international wines and liquors.
• 24 Hour In-room Dining - At your service twenty-four seven, personal in-room dining offers a wide selection of comfort food and mid-night snacks in the comfort of your private oasis.

Spa: A magnificent Angsana Spa offering a wide selection of beauty, health and massage treatments in contemporary and upscale private VIP treatment rooms, complemented by a full health club and a yoga/pilate studio.

Pool: Set on a rooftop on Level 9, the full harbour-view heated swimming pool offers swimmers a relaxing outdoor experience away from the overwhelming glitz of the surroundings.

Fitness Facilities: The harbour-facing fitness centre provides latest cardiovascular and weight training equipments including treadmills, step machines, cardio bikes, weight equipments and free weights.

Prima Wong
Director of Communications | Hotel ICON
(852) 34001188
Hong Kong Poly