The Hyatt Centric Victoria Harbour is located in the North Point district on Hong Kong Island where every room has harbour views. It was originally opened at Hotel VIC in in July 2018 and joined the Hyatt portfolio in August 2019.
Arriving at the hotel in the early morning from New York, the front desk staff were able to arrange for immediate check in and assign me a room in the West Wing (where the Club Lounge is located) rather than the East Wing (where the rooftop pool is located).
The hotel had originally assigned me a corner room with better views courtesy of my World of Hyatt Explorist status, but I was happy to trade that for a room available in the morning. I also appreciated being able to confirm a 2PM checkout.
First impressions of the hotel were very positive with helpful staff and top quality fit and finish.
In this post:
Hyatt Centric Victoria Harbour Room Review
I was assigned Room 925 in the West Tower with a king bed and harbour views over to the old Kai Tak Airport runway, which is now a Norman Foster designed cruise terminal.
The room was beautifully outfitted with local touches such as the etched map of Hong Kong Island above the bed, with the Hyatt Centric’s location pinned (centre panel, top right).
There was a small work desk and proper tea making facilities, in addition to the obligatory Nespresso machine. It was good to see complimentary bottles of water already provided in the room.
A full wardrobe was located along the corridor and provided ample hanging space plus a safe box. Robes and slippers were also provided, which was a step up from the Fairfield Inn in New York!
The marble bathroom was compact but well appointed, you can see the effort the designers went to with this hotel in the details.
The shower had both handheld and rain shower heads, making for a very refreshing shower before heading out to Central for brunch. It’s also quite novel to watch the activity on Victoria Harbour from the shower.
There were fun designs on the packing of the toothbrushes and other amenities in the bathroom drawer, illustrations of Hong Kong’s harbour among them.
Overall this was an impressive room and made for a great stay.
Hyatt Centric Victoria Harbour Club Lounge Review
Unusually for a Hyatt Centric this hotel has a club lounge. Typically with Hyatt Hotels their Hyatt Regency and Grand Hyatt brands will have club lounges (Regency Clubs and Grand Clubs respectively) while Park Hyatt, Andaz and Centric typically do not.
Having originally opened as the Hotel VIC, the Hyatt Centric retains the Victoria Lounge with the following food and drink presentations:
- Breakfast between 6:30AM to 10:30AM on weekdays / 11AM on weekends
- Afternoon Tea between 3PM to 5:30PM
- Evening Cocktails between 6PM and 8PM
The lounge itself is well appointed with a selection of seating and a board room for meetings (which guests can use for up to two hours per day).
I popped in at the end of my first day in Hong Kong for some fruit and a mug of tea. Happily, the lounge stocks JING Teas so I had another Jasmine Silver Needle to round out my day.
Breakfast was well patronised without the lounge feeling crowded. There was a wide selection of Asian and Western options with plenty of hot dishes. There is also a chef on hand to prepare eggs on demand.
A wide selection of fruit was available with the dragonfruit being good, but not as sweet as you get in Vietnam.
I started with a plate of fresh fruit, then the omelette and sausages and washed that down with a mug Earl Grey tea.
Being in Hong Kong, the second round was dim sum and congee with both being reasonably good.
Finally a round of pastries to round out breakfast as the heavy rain outside obscured the view over to Kowloon.
Swimming Pool
The infinity pool at the Hyatt Centric is long enough for laps, which is not always the case with hotel pools. Being on the rooftop there are good views across the harbour with the lights of Tsim Sha Tsui shining brightly.
There were quite a few people enjoying the pool and deck when I arrived, though a thunderstorm resulted in the pool being closed early.
Location
The Hyatt Centric Victoria Harbour has a great location in North Point, which is 6 stops on the MTR from Central. North Point MTR station is 2 minutes walk from the hotel and immediately visible ahead from Exit A1.
There are also the charming trams which you can catch from King’s Road, which is a 4 minute walk away.
Getting to and from the airport is easiest using the A11 Airport Bus which originates at Hong Kong International Airport and terminates at the North Point Ferry Pier, a few minutes walk from the Hyatt Centric Victoria Harbour. At HK$40 (A$7.60) each way it compared to the HK$115 (A$22) for the Airport Express Train.
Summary
I really enjoyed my one night stay at the Hyatt Centric Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong. It is a proper 5 star hotel with a great club lounge and rooftop pool, and beautifully appointed rooms.
Located close to transport it is very easy to get around by MTR and tram, and the A11 Airport Bus makes it very convenient to get to and from the airport.
