I’d like to think I’m a bit of a connoisseur of hotel club lounges (to be clear, I’m not trying to flatter myself — it’s like calling myself an expert on crudités and boxed wine). In the past, I’ve even posed the question of which hotel has the best club lounge in the world. There’s one answer I got more than any other, and after experiencing it myself, I am inclined to agree.
As I covered in a recent post, I just stayed at the Rosewood Hong Kong, and we had Manor Club access. Manor Club is Rosewood’s club lounge concept, and it’s only available at a very limited number of properties in the portfolio, primarily in Asia. The Manor Club is open to anyone who books a Manor Club room, as well as all suite guests.
I think this might just be the best hotel club lounge in the world, and I’d like to share some impressions of why (and then I’d love to hear from others as to whether there are any lounges you think are better). As I disclosed in the previous post, let me also acknowledge that we stayed as a guest of the property, as Ford had received a voucher through a Rosewood event that he attended, for a two-night stay.
The Rosewood Hong Kong Manor Club is beautiful, with amazing views
In terms of hard product, I don’t think there’s a more elegant club lounge than the Rosewood Hong Kong Manor Club. It consists of several rooms — there’s one main room with a bunch of tables and couches. On top of that, there’s a bar area off to the side, a communal workstation area, and even a billiards room. Pretty nice, eh (in particular that bar area)?
What makes this even better is that it’s on the 40th floor overlooking Victoria Harbour, and the views are every bit as amazing as you’d expect. You have a direct view of the nightly lights show from here.
And it gets even better, because the Manor Club even has a terrace with outdoor seating. Outdoor seating on the 40th floor overlooking Victoria Harbor?!? Wow!
The Rosewood Hong Kong Manor Club has great service, food, and drinks
The Rosewood Hong Kong is an amazing city hotel, but with 400+ rooms, it definitely doesn’t feel boutique… unless you’re staying in a room with Manor Club access. It really gives the vibe of a hotel within a hotel, in terms of staff getting to know you, check-in and check-out in the Manor Club (or directly in-room), etc. Of course good service for club guests is something you’d hope for in a nice club lounge.
The Manor Club has three food presentations per day — breakfast from 7AM until 11AM, afternoon tea from 2PM until 4PM, and evening canapés from 5PM until 8PM.
The food selection is top notch with all presentations. There’s a high quality and extensive buffet, with many dishes from the hotel’s restaurants (including the Michelin-starred ones). We had an amazing lunch at The Legacy House (the hotel’s Chinese restaurant) one day, and there was one dish in particular that we loved. We were delighted when we saw that was also part of the spread that evening.
For example, below is part of the evening spread, which included beef sirloin, dim sum, sandwiches, salads, cold cuts, and much more.
The Rosewood Hong Kong Manor Club people watching is unreal
If you’re into people watching, the guest profile at the Rosewood Hong Kong is quite something. Even more than that, the Manor Club really has the most over-the-top of those guests. I’ll simply say that this place is like something from “Crazy Rich Asians” on steroids…
How much does Rosewood Hong Kong Manor Club access cost?
As mentioned above, the Rosewood Hong Kong Manor Club is open to all suite guests, as well as those who specifically book a Manor Club room. There’s no other way to get access, in terms of upgrades, supplements, etc. You need to be in an eligible room, and that’s that.
Obviously hotel rates vary greatly throughout the year, so there’s not some consistent upcharge for rooms with Manor Club access. That being said, I actually think the premium is often quite fair. For example, picking some random dates later this year where the hotel has a third night free offer:
- A Harbour View Room King costs $717
- A Premier Harbour View Room King costs $830
- A Club Premier Harbour View Room King costs $1,055
- A Kowloon Peak Suite King costs $1,266
- A Grand Harbour Corner Suite costs $2,265
Obviously these are all very expensive rooms, so I’m not trying to suggest “what a bargain!” However, I do find it interesting how Hong Kong hotels in general have relatively reasonable upcharges for suites, compared to some other markets. That top suite there covers an area of over 1,300 square foot, so it’s rather massive, and has the most breathtaking views imaginable of Victoria Harbour.
It’s just a contrast to suite pricing in many cities in the United States. I always like to give the example of the Tampa EDITION (Tampa isn’t Hong Kong, and EDITION isn’t Rosewood)), where a 1,200 square foot suite looking at Tampa Bay retails for around $5,000. What?!
Bottom line
If you ask me, what makes for a good hotel club lounge is a nice vibe and design, great views, friendly and attentive service, and an excellent selection of food and drinks. I’d argue that the Manor Club at the Rosewood Hong Kong checks all of those boxes.
In particular, having a 40th floor view of Victoria Harbour including an outdoor terrace is something that’s pretty magical. When you add in the excellent food and drink presentations throughout the day, this really is a very special setup. It’s the best hotel club lounge I’ve ever been to, though I’m curious if any OMAAT readers have others that they think are of this caliber (if so, I’d like to add them to my list!).
