Holidaying in Hong Kong
The Hari Hong Kong’s GM, Rory Slater, says it’s keeping guests entertained with prohibitionera cocktail trolleys
The Hari made its debut last December. What was it like launching during a pandemic?
It was a very strange time to open, but the local community’s been supporting us by coming in to try out the restaurants, and word of mouth has seen a booming lunch business develop. Being on Lockhart Road, we’re in a great location and get a lot of foot traffic. There’s a steady influx of staycation bookings on the weekend; people enjoy using room service and doing late check out. As guests couldn’t come down from their rooms after 6pm, we introduced a prohibitionera cocktail trolley and were shaking up Martinis and Manhattans for guests to enjoy in their room.
How are your bookings so far for 2021?
Everything is pretty short term at the moment. We’re just waiting to hear when restrictions will be lifted so we can increase table sizes. Once we have travel bubbles and borders are open, that will obviously make a big difference.
Do you think the staycation market will continue to be a significant part of your business?
Right now, it is of course the most significant, and some families are hiring out a few rooms for a couple of weeks as they don’t want to be in their homes anymore… they’re just desperate to get out. I think when people do start travelling again, they will favour slightly smaller hotels, not places where breakfast is in a ballroom with hundreds of people, and that will play in our favour. We have 210 bedrooms, and for Hong Kong, that’s small. Our restaurants and public spaces have a residential, intimate feel.
How would you characterise the hotel?
At our sister property the Hari in London, the hotel’s ethos and style is removing starch and formality from luxury for a friendly and informal approach, and Hari Hong Kong is the same. We’re not styling ourselves as a grande dame hotel with huge marble lobbies and front doors. Modern luxury is low key, the chance to enjoy service and quality. The needs of travellers today are not a 50 sqm room with a large chair and desk. You need a big screen TV, an amazingly comfortable bed, a great shower and good wifi.
What were some of the biggest challenges you’ve had to face so far?
The pandemic did affect some of the supply chains, like getting furniture and fabric from Europe: we had some chairs being made in Italy and there was a delay in them coming in, for example. But in the grand scheme of things, it didn’t affect us. We just opened straight into restrictions and couldn’t open the gym, and the restaurants couldn’t serve dinner. They are challenges we’ve just had to roll with. Having said that, we did find there were an awful lot of high calibre staff on the market. In a boom market, they would be tough to find.
The first Hari hotel opened in London in 2016. Are the two properties similar?
The Hari London is an 85-bedroom townhouse conversion, so externally they are different but internally they are the same as we used the same architect and designer. Both have provocative artwork, and utilise metal and marble in the interior design, along with wooden floors. The lounge in Hari London has petrol blue seats, banquettes and an ornate book shelf, and we’ve transported that to Hong Kong.
I spent some time in the Hari London to understand the brand. Having worked in branded hotels, consistency is key. But we want staff to have fun with customers, and tell them they don’t have to serve coffee in the same way to all guests. How they engage with staff, whether they say good morning, hello, or how are you, is up to them. That makes the service more authentic. We let them read the guest – if someone wants to chat, then do so.
Which hotel brands inspire you and why?
It’s not any specific brand. When I travel, I enjoy thoughtful touches – just people remembering my name, or things I didn’t expect. One hotel I recently stayed in had an electric popcorn machine. It had the perfect measure of corn in the cup that you could pop into the dispenser, and the paper cup fitted in exactly under the machine, then there was salt and sugar and an idiot-proof instruction card. We now have an electric popcorn machine in our staff canteen, and hope to get a candyfloss machine too.
What’s the philosophy of the Hari hotel?
It’s about taking away the starch from service, and manners, grace, elegance… a layer of sophistication without being stuffy. We want to be seen as a beacon of modern luxury. Luxury doesn’t have to mean formality.
It’s been a tough 12 months for hospitality. What are the reasons you are staying positive?
The dramas of the present day will be short-lived, borders will re-open, and Hong Kong will remain a key city in Asia. One of the Harilela’s other hotels, the Holiday Inn Golden Mile, made its debut 40 odd years ago. You build a hotel not for the first year but 40 years plus.
What is your focus at Hari Hong Kong over the next 12 months?
It’s about more than survival. We’ll be building our brand and reputation day by day, guest by guest. The restaurants have been an early calling card, and when restrictions are released, it’ll be much easier, as we’ll be able to cater to more people for lunch and dinner.
Are there plans to open other Hari hotels?
It’s a topic of conversation, and there’s certainly an appetite to have more globally in gateway cities in Asia and Europe but things are on hold right now. So while this is the latest, it’s certainly not the last. thehari.com