There are a lot of changes happening in Hong Kong’s Central district at the moment. The renovation of The Landmark, the sprawling modernist complex at the heart of the area, is taking place concurrently with huge works closer to the water to create Central Yards, a vast new complex designed to bring more flat, green space to an area renowned for its soaring glass-and-steel skyscrapers.
The latest milestone in the process has been marked by the reopening of guest rooms at Mandarin Oriental The Landmark. The 109-key hotel is a petite, discreet sibling to the grand brand flagship just a short walk away, offering a more demure atmosphere, intended to feel closer to a private Hong Kong apartment than a hotel. Its position within the footprint of The Landmark allows it to behave as much as a hub for locals as for guests, with an inconspicuous entrance tucked inside the main shopping concourse to attract shoppers to the diverse array of restaurants and bars across the seventh floor.
Wallpaper* checks in at Mandarin Oriental The Landmark, Hong Kong
What’s on your doorstep?
A quite astonishing array of luxury shops is scattered all across Central, with the usual international behemoths joined by local artisans like The Anthology and Prologue. For true tourists or first-time visitors, the Victoria Peak Tram and Star Ferry Terminal are both within easy walking distance. An almost entirely covered route to the Central MTR station means the whole of the island, and of Kowloon beyond, is a reasonably short travel-time away, but the wealth of excellent bars and restaurants within Central itself, as well as the proximity of sightseeing favourites like Man Mo Temple and the Tai Kwun Cultural Centre, could easily persuade you not to leave the area.
Who’s behind the design?
Hong Kong-based Joyce Wang, leader of her eponymous studio, was given the responsibility of updating the space. Her decision to draw inspiration from the colonial-era mansions that litter the Northern Territories is immediately evident in the undulating terracotta tiles of the street-level facade. These are emulated in the crimson travertine columns of the double-height main foyer, whose radiant warmth is in turn juxtaposed by ice-shaped glass blocks covering the opposing walls. A curved staircase in light beige stone transports guests up to a significantly more intimate lobby area, panelled in blond wood and liberally scattered with comfy red leather armchairs, and the grandeur of the initial reception gives way to the cosy residential aesthetic.
Local art is spread liberally throughout the entire hotel. Each lift bears a hand-painted abstraction of the Hong Kong skyline by Eliza Ling, an in-house artist at Joyce Wang Studio, which is then reinterpreted in the hand-tufted carpets running through the corridors. Stepping out of the lift, we are greeted by mesmerising small vases by locally based ceramicists Julie & Jessie, each with a tantalising flash of brilliant colour partially revealed under ‘paper’ wrappings partly torn off the surface. Every small detail like these helps to build a rich, nuanced identity for the property.
The room to book
Book the L600 Junior Suite, located at a corner of the building, giving the bathroom a double window to be enjoyed from the signature circular bathtub. The layout of the space places the shower and toilet cleverly behind the tub, completing a round area built within the main floor space, which also serves to separate the bedroom from the living and working area. Decor in light greens and rich, dark brown wood soften the atmosphere and build the feeling of a chic apartment in downtown Hong Kong. Larger L900 suites employ the same colour scheme but offer more space, including a larger bed with wrap-around polished wooden headboards.
Staying for drinks and dinner?
Most of the hotel’s food and beverage venues stayed open throughout the renovation; some have been created as part of the project. The Communal, an understated artisan coffee shop just off the lobby, is a key part of the push to increase engagement with the local market. Plush booth seating and tables for two line the walls and face a marble-topped coffee bar decorated with bamboo-shaped tiles in a dark and lustrous green, allowing guests to watch baristas prepare their pour-over coffees and delicate pastries. Nearby roastery Hazel & Hershey provides freshly roasted beans each day. The space is bright and welcoming, as is the service, making it an energising place to begin a morning.
The seventh floor is where the majority of the dining takes place. Blanc de Noires is a new addition as part of the renovation, a champagne-focused snug bar with space for around 25 guests. Crisp white marble floors sparkle under the atmospheric low lighting; impossibly dark black wood panelling to the walls absorbs the sheen to ensure the room retains a secretive, seductive aura. The white dinner jackets worn by the bar team embellish a feeling that we’re drinking in a 1980s neon pastiche of a 1920s New York speakeasy. 25 champagnes by the glass, expertly paired by the sommelier to a ‘Ham Library’ – an extraordinary collection of cured meats, sliced on demand to suit each drinker’s individual palette – as well as an extensive list of champagne cocktails complete what is already one of the most stylish drinking spots in the area.
The verdict
Aside from being simply a luxurious, welcoming place to stay, this is a place to develop a relationship with one of the greatest cities in the world. The hotel presents a modern, cosmopolitan version of Hong Kong as the international hub it truly is, rather than leaning too hard on its cliches or pandering too strongly to an incoming audience. It's a place for locals to love and visitors to get to know them through, and a great reason to visit the city in itself.
Mandarin Oriental The Landmark is located at 15 Queen's Road Central, Central, Hong Kong