You cannot be in the travel business and not know about the fabled
Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong.
So, when you finally come calling you are not surprised to see
the gorgeous lobby and public areas reflecting their 1928 origins
in this grand dame among hotels.
You are not surprised at service-minded staff everywhere or to
hear guests say this property has the creme de la creme among Hong
Kong's afternoon teas.
This month, it was my turn as a Peninsula guest. And there were
some surprises.
A renovation in 1994 added a 30-story tower behind the original
landmark building, which yielded smartened-up interiors and
stunning views of Hong Kong's harbor.
But it was the useful techno-toys that really got my
attention.
I spent some serious time testing a few, as follows:
In the bathroom, guests can choose bright or dim lights and
control the radio from one panel.A second control panel lets bathers control the TV tucked into
the wall at one end of the tub or control the radio. That was
pretty easy to manage.
A third panel allows guests in the tub or at wash basins to make
calls, using hidden speakers, and to manage those calls on two
different lines.
I called -- and mystified -- the operator, given I did not want
to talk about anything.
In the entry hall, a large panel includes lights and valet
buttons.Guests also can turn on a hallway sign to say "do not disturb"
or "make up room," and another segment of the panel advises if a
fax is waiting on the silent in-room fax. (Indeed, the fax phone
does not ring, and the sound of printing is soft.)
Best of all on this entry-hall panel, the outdoor humidity and
temperature (Celsuis or Fahrenheit) are displayed.
In the main room, panels accommodate headphones for TV and
radio; another offered data ports for U.K. or U.S. phone jacks, and
others for either 220v or 120v electrical devices.Then there were the duplicate panels at each side of the bed
that covered the valet call, lights, radio and TV, notice of a
waiting fax, alarm clock, air-conditioner controls and, finally,
controls for the curtains.
Closing those curtains left the room black and shut out the Hong
Kong skyline. I left the drapes open.
Then, there is the shoebox at the door, with little doors
opening into the room and onto the hall. Here, shoes are picked up
for shining and newspapers are delivered.I learned later I missed a few things, like pull-out trays on
the phones where one button lets users mute TV or radio while on
the phone or look up the time in other cities, the better not to
wake family with a mistimed call home.
You need a lesson to use one of these rooms, but this school is
fun.