Tucked away above the ELEMENTS mall in West Kowloon, the W Hong Kong is a fun property filled with personality. Over the last year, the hotel has gone out of its way to innovate and find ways to continuously deliver exciting new experiences to Hongkongers looking to fuel their wanderlust—which, of course, has been stymied by closed borders during the pandemic. The property has tried to innovate with value-added staycation offers and improved food offerings under the stewardship of recently-arrived Executive Chef Rafael Gil (of Netflix’s “The Final Table” fame) and Executive Pastry Chef Baptiste Villefranque. Their latest offering is the “W Wanderlust” staycation package, which aims to transport guests to other W Hotels cities with themed rooms and more.
First Impressions
Guests check into the W Hong Kong at a discreet reception area located on the hotel’s 6th floor, just around the corner from WOOBAR. The process is quick and painless, even with pandemic protocols in place. I check in with my mom on Mother’s Day and in a lovely touch, the hotel gives us special gift sets—full of Bliss products and spa vouchers—to mark the occasion. Minutes later, we head up to our room.
The Room
The centerpiece of the W Wanderlust staycation is a Fabulous Room that’s been made over so that it’s decorated in a theme inspired by another city. There are several themes on offer, including Shanghai, Bali, Taipei, and Osaka, all of which have W Hotels. We are in the Bangkok-themed room, which features bright orange-tinged wallpaper that show off Bangkok’s iconic temples, tuk-tuks, and the W property in the Thai capital. On the bed are a set of oversized bright pink Muray Thai gloves have been specially flown in from the W Bangkok—all the other themed rooms have similar amenities. To continue the experience, the welcome amenity also features an image of Bangkok—though I can’t help but feel that some Thai-inspired bites would’ve been a nice touch, instead of the usual (but delicious) European-inspired sweets on offer. It’s all a little kitsch, but in a fun way. Just don’t take it too seriously and you’ll be in for a good time.
The room also features all the rest of the Amenities a Fabulous Room at the W Hong Kong. This includes a signature “Maxi-Bar,” oceanfront views, beds dressed in crisp white linen, and a bathtub, a separate walk-in rainforest shower, and new Davines amenities in the bathroom. It’s a very comfortable space to spend the night.
The Staycation
By the time we settle into our room, the afternoon is well underway. We’re hungry, so we order some room service using the HK$1,500 dining credit that comes with the staycation package. The liver pâté is great, but the cheese plate less so—we’re told the hotel has run out of the premium cheeses that are normally used. Not a problem, the plate is still heaping with cheese and well-presented. However,, I’d specifically asked for a Cheddar to be included on the board, but bizarrely, this translated to the addition of American-style Kraft Cheddar cheese slices served on a separate plate, instead of quality European-style Cheddar blocks.
Despite the somewhat cloudy day, I’m determined to take advantage of the warm weather and head up to the pool. Given the government-mandated pandemic restrictions, pool capacity is capped at 30%. Getting in is only on a first-come-first-served basis, and sessions are limited only to 90 minutes, which is fine on a Sunday afternoon. But having noticed that many other hotels are operating a booking policy, this might be something the W Hong Kong might want to adopt. I was lucky to get a pool slot within 15 minutes, but if it were busier, I’d have been stuck waiting around for them to call me to tell me there was a lounger available.
In the evening, we head down to WOOBAR. The W Wanderlust package comes with a pair of themed cocktails, so we kick off the evening with a concoction that features heavy lashings of gin and lemongrass—very appropriate for the Bangkok theme. We follow this up with the eatery’s set dinner menu and get to tuck into a fresh salad, creamy mushroom soup, well-seasoned lamb chops, and a crisp duck confit. It’s all solid food, particularly the dessert, which is a decadent chocolate concoction.
The next morning, I manage another sun session by the pool before checking into the hotel’s bliss spa for a soothing massage. The staycation package also comes with HK$500 spa credit that can be used to indulge in city-themed pampering. For the Bangkok theme, there’s a 120-minute treatment called “Dynamic Thailand “($3,000) that includes a 60-minute personal Muay Thai session, a 60-minute bespoke aroma destress massage, and a deluxe meal with a detox juice at the WET deck. I’m not in the mood to be pummelled by a personal trainer, though, so I opt to use the credit on a 105-minute massage that includes a paraffin wax treatment for the feet. It’s an utterly indulgent experience for a Monday morning and sets me up nicely for the busy week ahead.
Some Final Thoughts
The W Hong Kong almost always offers a solid staycation experience, though things can get a little dicey due to the current government restrictions that are in place because of the pandemic. Nevertheless, we enjoyed this relaxing getaway. The dinner at WOOBAR was a quiet experience and ideal for a Sunday night, the pool time was much needed (and we didn’t have to worry about crowding or waiting), and the massage at bliss spa was, well, blissful. The W Wanderlust staycation package is a nice effort by the hotel to offer stuck Hongkongers a taste of travel. It would have been nice, though, if the themed experience could have been a bit more thorough—a Bangkok-inspired food experience would have rounded out the stay very nicely.
W Hong Kong W Wanderlust Staycation – From $2,450/night, available through August 31, 2021
- One night in a themed Fabulous Room
- Breakfast buffet for two at KITCHEN
- Destination-themed cocktails for two at WOOBAR
- HK$500 spa credit—option for destination-themed spa experience
- Surprise welcome amenity
- HK$1,500 dining credit
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Written by The Loop HK for WHong Kong.
The author was a guest of W Hong Kong.
