Tuve — Hong Kong, China

Tucked away in Tai Hang, an enclave just minutes from the retail beehive of Causeway Bay, new hotel Tuve tries its best to remain unassuming, surrounded by nondescript tenements, devoid of signage and clad in gunmetal black. Inside, the minimalist vision of the publicity-shy owners, inspired by a series of photographs by Denmark’s Kim Holtermand, is given free rein by Design Systems, a local team that’s previously tackled office and retail projects for the likes of Hermes and the Hong Kong International Airport. Accessed through a cavernous arched passageway, the lobby sets the tone with speckled lighting that plays off brass reception counters. Tuve’s 66 rooms, are similarly defined by sharp angles, a complete lack of clutter, and grainy surfaces of marble, wood and concrete, often adorned with nothing more than ripples of light and shadow, creating an effect that’s simultaneously icy and intimate. Yet there’s no shortage of comforts amidst the visual austerity; fine linens, complimentary smartphones and ground-floor restaurant, Silver Room, a zone of shifting, translucent plastic walls and Japanese-influenced Italian culinary delights. ‘Discreet’ and ‘hidden’ aren’t adjectives commonly associated with this brash, bustling city, but Tuve makes a bold attempt to introduce them into Hong Kong’s accommodation lexicon.