Pentahotel Hong Kong, Kowloon Guestroom — Photo by pentahotels

Pentahotel Hong Kong, Kowloon will open Summer 2013, in the emerging area of East Kowloon, home of the old Kai Tak airport. The 720-room, 32-storey hotel anticipates development earmarked for the Kai Tak area including two cruise terminals, hospital, multi-purpose stadium complex, waterfront promenade, a metro park and subway line extension.

As the first pentahotel in Hong Kong, the property will join sister pentahotels in Shanghai and Beijing, along with 13 properties in Europe. Eighty pentahotels are anticipated to be in operation globally by 2020.

The innovative pentahotels concept is geared towards independent-minded travelers, “digital nomads” and drop-in neighbours. Upbeat, design-driven lobbies are like living rooms with a buzz, with hotel guests and locals alike lingering over lunch and iPads, sipping wine at the Internet corner, or joining friends for beers, snacks and a game of pool. In-house guests find that unnecessary frills are eliminated in favour of fuss-free efficiency and uncomplicated comfort. Streamlined yet cosy guestrooms are designed for cool, casual ease.

Pentahotel Kowloon will also be positioned as a home base for guests to discover the emerging neighbourhoods of East Kowloon and is anticipated to become a neighbourhood hub in its own right.

The hotel, designed by Shanghai-based Neri & Hu, will feature contemporary rustic décor in the public areas – with natural wood and stone finishes, leather seating and fireplace – complemented by New York loft-style guestrooms. In addition, pentahotel Kowloon will feature an outdoor pool and gym.

The heart of every pentahotel is pentalounge, which will encompass the entire first floor of pentahotel Kowloon. It is conceived as an extension of the hotel’s guestrooms where guests can chill out, utilise complimentary WiFi or the Internet corner, or have fun with Wii, billiards and board games. Multiple areas in the 220-seat space will be served by the penta Market – casual dining influenced by local “wet markets” and an upscale recreation of street food stalls.

The hotel will be located at 15-19 Luk Hop Street, Kowloon, several minutes’ stroll from the Diamond Hill MTR station.

Pentahotels is a design-led, neighbourhood lifestyle brand providing independent travellers with comfort and style in a contemporary environment. Launched in Europe, pentahotels are located in Germany, Austria and United Kingdom and China. The brand is represented in Asia by pentahotel Shanghai and Beijing, with a target of 80 pentahotels in operation globally by 2020. A combined lobby, reception, bar and café – designed as a lively gathering place for hotel guests and local patrons alike – is a pentahotels hallmark. For further information or reservations, please contact your travel professional or visit www.pentahotels.com.

Remembering Kai Tak and the Rebirth of East Kowloon

Kai Tak is fondly remembered as the site of Hong Kong’s old international airport, with its dramatic airplane landings seemingly within touching distance of surrounding high-rises. The airport was in operation by the 1920s, with memorable air service over the years including the legendary Pan American World Airways Clipper flying boat between Hong Kong and San Francisco and Air France flights from Indochina. After the Chek Lap Kok airport opened in 1998, the former airport site had various temporary uses; at one point, a golf driving range was situated on the runway area.

The Hong Kong government has proposed a HKD100 billion plan to turn East Kowloon into a core business district. But alongside lofty development schemes, the area is already undergoing a quiet revival of nearby neighbourhoods, featuring everything from the locally popular Asian ethnic eateries and food stores of Kowloon City, and the upscale yet quaint Kowloon Tong district, to the oases of historic Kowloon Walled City Park, classical Nan Lian Garden and sports buffs’ favourite Kowloon Tsai Park. These pockets of neighbourhood lifestyle all lie within a 10-minute taxi ride of pentahotel Kowloon.

Angela Wong
Senior Account Manager
+(852) 2807 0222
pentahotels