Not only is this the landmark Hong Kong hotel, it is also the finest. First opened in December 1928, it is affectionately known locally as the Pen. It is more historic than the InterContinental Hong Kong and far more opulent than the Kowloon Shangri-La or any other Kowloon hotel, and it has larger guest rooms than those at both of the Mandarin Orientals.
The world's largest fleet of Rolls-Royces delivers guests to the front door via a landscaped drive with a fountain. Arrivals often make use of the hotel's signature helipad for the quickest airport transfers. White-suited bellhops in signature pillbox hats scurry to deliver the luggage as guests are ushered into the lobby, where managers handle check-in.
The historic lobby is a destination in itself, rising two stories and emanating a glossy aura with its ornate columns, plush carpeted central staircase and elaborate ceiling. Lunch, tea and cocktails are still served in the old manner to hundreds of patrons from around the world each day (some in the latest Prada, others out of place in tacky tourist garb, but all are warmly greeted nonetheless) as a harmonious string quartet plays from the musician's gallery above. Snooping tourists can be an annoyance to guests, with their snapping cameras and constant shuffle.
Felix, the spectacular restaurant designed by Philippe Starck on the 28th floor, boasts not only fine Pacific Rim dining but also a space-age bar, a wine room and a dance floor, all with stunning views of the Hong Kong skyline, a must-see for any visitor to the area. (Best of all is the panorama from the men's baths. Even the ladies should try to get a glimpse.)
A private elevator serves pricey Gaddi's. Open for half a century, the renowned French restaurant is considered by most to offer the best Western cooking in Hong Kong. It is lush with rich carpeting, blue and beige upholstery, large chandeliers, a 17th-century coromandel screen and a historic collection of sterling silver. Music adds further luster to some of the best food and wine in town, and the service, very old-school and very congenial, is above reproach. The chef's table is one of the hardest to reserve in town but well worth the effort to dine in such close proximity to aromatic talent.
The cool, classic Verandah and the bar overlooking the front drive are slightly less formal, but the service is just as polished, and the Mediterranean food in the former is up to the expected standard. The Swiss restaurant may seem a strange choice for hot and humid Hong Kong, but the dark beams and European antiques do conjure up an Alpine coolness, and the food and service are delectable. Spring Moon offers superb Cantonese fare in a formal 1928 art-deco setting, and the modern and stylish Imasa appeals to the hotel's legion of Japanese clients.
The Roman-style pool is open year-round, offering breathtaking harbor and peak views through towering windows that open up in fine weather. The adjoining fitness center offers exercise equipment, whirlpools, saunas, steam rooms, cold tubs, massages, and health and beauty treatments. The new ESPA spa has a cutting-edge menu of pricey luxuries that fairly reflect these top-notch treatments using organic oils carried out by thorough professionals. The steam and sauna facilities overlook Hong Kong Island and the harbor, making them some of Asia's most memorable spa spots. Those truly in the know schedule evening treatments to conclude just before the city's 8 pm nightly sound-and-lights show, which can be enjoyed over a fresh 
juice while tucked into cushy duvets in the harbor facing relaxation rooms.
In the adjacent sparkling gym, no detail is overlooked, including complimentary workout clothes and chilled bottled water. A dramatic staircase with period balustrades leads to two handsome shopping arcades off the lobby. The superb business center offers incomparable facilities, and the main meeting space serves up to 300.
Guest quarters are more spacious and provide more standard amenities than any other hotel here, with entertainment cabinets containing CD and DVD players and flat-screen TVs, fax machines and, in the marble baths, hand-free phones, dimmer switches, powerful air-conditioning, broadband Internet access and second flat-screen TVs. Original Chinese watercolors accent the subtle Asian influences seen in the fabrics and ceramics, although the overall atmosphere is elegant European. The ivory and gold color schemes, accented with touches of blue or green, lend a regal look, the burl and teak furniture is meticulously crafted, and plants and fresh flowers are in every room. All lodgings are appointed with generous desks, dual-line speakerphones with voice mail and data ports, complimentary high-speed Internet access, fax machines, gourmet minibars, king, queen or Hollywood twin beds with high-tech bedside controls, dressing tables with hair dryers, robes and slippers, safes and up to five phones. At the entrance to each room, the temperature and humidity are displayed on a panel, and guests can place their shoes in the two-door shoe box, to be retrieved, shined and returned by morning.
The front desk offers a complete collection of CDs and DVDs for in-room entertainment, and daily replenishment of fresh fruit and flowers enhances the luxury.
Accommodations in the older building lack harbor views and instead face the front drive and the monolithic Hong Kong Space Museum or the side streets, but they are exceptionally large and boast high ceilings and luxurious Asian and English appointments, so those seeking to save some money while lapping up the luxuries should prepare to make this adjustment. The standard rooms are among the largest in town, with lavish sitting areas furnished with sofas, armchairs and generous storage space. Guest quarters in the 1994-built tower are spacious and exquisitely appointed, and the views are stupendous in all directions (especially on the harbor side, of course). Baths in all rooms are outrageously opulent, with separate glass shower stalls with drenching showerheads, soaking tubs, luxurious toiletries, powerful hair dryers, double marble vanities that are notably well-lit, radio speakers, phones, WCs and the most divine bath towels in the city.
Service is impeccable; indeed, it is world-class. Room service delivers efficiently and with flawless accuracy at all hours, and all arrivals are greeted with traditional jasmine tea. Pets are not permitted.
Regular renovations are rarely dramatic, so as to ensure a familiar continuity. This grande dame sets service and design standards not just for Hong Kong and Asia, but for the entire world. The InterContinental across the street offers an equally famous lobby, but the accommodations at the Pen are unrivaled. Those doing business on the Hong Kong side or who prefer to avoid the onslaught of Kowloon shoppers may prefer the equally excellent but less grand Four Seasons and Mandarin Oriental on Hong Kong Island.
