THE NEW HOSPITALITY待客新道

待客新道CATHY ADAMS and MARK JONES check into big, bold suites – separately

High-concept suites 志在奪目的奢華套房

WHAT IS A HOTEL

suite? The usual definition – a bedroom and at least one extra sitting room – is being stretched, especially when hospitality brands target a space-starved urban Asian audience. There is a resort in Bali where the Royal Suite was a standard room with a small sofa. In fact, there was a whole wing of ‘royal suites’.

At the top end, hotels have been trying to distance themselves from the pack by offering a) lots more rooms, and b) many more treats.

In Hong Kong, there are the opulent, chinoiseried suites (Mandarin Oriental) to multi-roomed affairs with fully stocked (free!) minibars ( The Peninsula) and the suite with the infinity pool and Jacuzzi on the rooftop (the InterContinental – shortly to close for refurbishment).

Now we’re seeing the birth of the High Concept Suite. It’s no longer about size – though these are big – but about the big idea: usually playful, and always designed with publicity and social media in mind rather than mere revenue. 何謂酒店套房？一般的定存是一個睡房附帶最少一個客廳，然而這概念已被酒店業界濫用，特別是酒店品牌為招徠渴求寬敞空間的亞洲城市旅客，更令套房的概念失去原有的。意存 我們曾入住印尼峇里島某度假村酒店的皇家套房，但那其實只是一間配備一張小沙的發 標準客房，而這酒店的其中一座竟然全是「皇家套房」。

有見及此，最高級的酒店都嘗試與這種風氣界為劃清 線， 入住套房的提客人供更空多 間和更的佳 享受。

在香港，文華東方酒店備有奢華的中國風套房；半島酒店的套房有多個房間，附設的迷你酒吧貯滿飲品和小吃，供住客免費享用；而即將關閉進行翻新工程的際洲 酒店，更擁有一間位於天台、設有無邊際泳池和按摩浴缸的套房。

我們在此見證了一種新類型套房的誕生。雖然房間依舊寬敞，但面積不再是重點；這種套房著眼於大膽的意念，設計往往玩味十足，以引起公眾和交社 媒注為體 目 目標，而並非只著重收入。

KAMEHA GRAND SPACE SUITE, ZÜRICH ( LEFT, ABOVE & BELOW)

Square feet: 1,238

If some suites want to make you feel at home, this suite wants to throw you out. Around 80 kilometres out. Or rather, up – into the atmosphere. This spacey suite, designed by artist Michael Najjar, in one of Europe’s most straight-laced cities, has models of astronauts, pictures of galaxies and a floating bed (pictured, left), which is eerily referred to as ‘the sleeping module’. And what we assume to be Switzerland’s entire inventory of silver paint. kamehagrandzuerich.com

蘇黎世KAMEHA GRAND酒店， SPACE SUITE套房（左圖、上圖及下圖）

面積： 1,238平方呎

若果某些套房令你有回家的，感覺 這個套房則想把你送出家門，拋到80多公里外的大氣層內。套房位於歐洲其中一個以循規蹈矩著稱的城市內，由藝術家Michael Najjar精心設計，房內有太空人模型和其他河銀的系照片，令人有如經歷一趟太空。漫遊 恍似凌空的飄浮床睡舖（左圖） ，更被詭異地命名為「睡眠。艙」我們估計，這間套房已經用盡瑞士全國庫存的銀色油漆。kamehagrandzuerich.com

THE WRITER’S PENTHOUSE, THE CORINTHIA, LONDON ( RIGHT)

Square feet: 1,815

Here’s an elegant riposte to all that high-techery: a super comfycontemporary, split-level suite with a library of over 1,000 books. When you need to rest your eyes after hours of composing sonnets at your dark walnut, two-metre-long desk, you can stroll (or take the private lift) to the roof terrace with its poetic views over Westminster. The Corinthia has become a firm favourite among the Hollywood crowd, and it’s said one particularly swashbuckling star plays against type by requesting the Writer’s every time he visits. corinthia.com/london

倫敦科林西亞大飯店， THE WRITER’S PENTHOUSE套房（右圖）

面積： 1,815平方呎這間雙層套房散發現代氣息，置身其中令人感到舒適無比，房內還有過千本藏書，是對高科技風格的優雅回應。當你長時間在兩米長的深色胡桃木書桌旁埋頭撰寫十四行詩之後，需要讓疲倦的眼睛稍作休息的話，可以漫步（或乘搭私人電梯）至屋頂陽台，游目四顧西敏區充滿詩意的景致。科林西亞大飯店已成一眾荷李活名人的摯愛，據說某位作風張揚愛炫耀的明星每次來訪，都必定要求入住這間與他的性格背道而馳的套房。corinthia.com/london

TY WARNER PENTHOUSE SUITE, FOUR SEASONS, NEW YORK ( LEFT)

Square feet: 4,300

This is a suite that deserves most of its superlatives: most expensive hotel room in the US and the most ridiculously, excessively, unnecessarily sumptuous at that. Named after the hotel owner (rather than, perhaps more typically, the designers), this 52nd floor suite was designed by architectural greats IM Pei and Peter Marino. The former apparently came out of retirement to work on the project. Inside the suite – or, half inside, half outside – are cantilevered glass balconies overlooking New York, a baby grand piano underneath a ‘cathedral ceiling’, and mother of pearl punched into the living room walls. The Four Seasons will throw everything at Ty Warner Suite guests during their stay – spa access, a private driver and, reassuringly, to document it all, free Wi-Fi. fourseasons.com/newyork

紐約四季酒店，泰沃納頂層套房（左圖）

面積： 4,300平方呎

這間位於酒店52樓的套房可謂集各種極致於一身，不僅是全美國價格最昂貴的酒店房間，其奢華與浮誇已達無與倫比的地步。套房的名稱並沒有如慣常般採用設計師的名字，而是來自酒店老闆；其設計出自建築名師貝聿銘和Peter Marino的手筆，貝聿銘本已退休，專誠為這個項目出山。套房內外各有一半設有懸臂式玻璃陽台，可以飽覽紐約風光。有如大教堂一般的拱形天花之下，是一座小型三角鋼琴，而客廳牆壁更鑲嵌了珍珠貝母。四季酒店為入住泰沃納頂層套房的貴客提供一切所需，括水療服務和私人司機，至於免費Wi-Fi更是不用多說。fourseasons.com/newyork

PRESIDENTIAL SUITE, BANYAN TREE, MACAU ( BELOW)

Square feet: 9,558

In the Banyan Tree Macau’s Presidential Suite, you don’t need to traipse down 32 floors to the ground floor casino. In this split-level suite, the casino is right here in the form of a private gaming room. There’s also a sauna and a Jacuzzi, with eye-watering views over the Cotai Strip. For high rollers at the lower end, there are the surprisingly affordable Cotai Pool Suites with a Scandi-style bath in the living room. They fit eight: our team has road-tested them. banyantree.com

澳門悅榕庄，總統套房（下圖）

面積： 9,558平方呎入住澳門悅榕庄的雙層總統套房，就不必勞師動眾走

32層樓到地面的賭場，因為套房內已為你特設私人的娛樂場。套房同時設有桑拿室和按摩浴缸，路氹金光大道的景色更是一覽無遺。如果希望以較實惠的價格追求優質享受，可以選擇路氹泉悅套房，不但其房價出人意表地實惠，客廳更設有北歐風格的浴缸，而經過我們實地測試，證實可供八人入住。

banyantree.com