The Charterhouse Causeway Bay Hotel

Marble floors and wood-paneled walls cover the hotel's small lobby. Seating is limited, with a few red leather stools providing spots where arriving guests can pause. Though the lobby is small, its celling spans three stories, with an open staircase rising along the wall above the recessed reception desk and circling up to the floors above. A showy chandelier sits at the top for maximum effect. Convenient to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, the Charterhouse Causeway Bay Hotel attracts mostly business travelers.

Located on Wan Chai Road, The Charterhouse Causeway Bay Hotel is within walking distance of upscale restaurants and shops -- the popular Times Square Shopping Mall can be reached in about six minutes on foot. It's about a five-minute drive to both the Wan Chai Ferry Pier and the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center (to which the hotel provides a free shuttle), depending on traffic. The posher Causeway Bay neighborhood sits to the east of the hotel, and the main MTR Causeway Bay Station is a 10-minute walk down Hennessy Road. Expect a 40-minute drive to Hong Kong International Airport.

The 294 rooms range from tiny Economy Single Rooms (12 square meters, or 129 square feet) to S Signature Rooms, which come with extra "smart office" features. Most rooms have not been updated and are furnished in traditional Western-style decor -- they're small with homey (and often scuffed) wood furniture, including rounded corner cabinets and small desks incorporated into the window ledge. The white-on-white Family Rooms look newer, but the two double beds leave no space for other furnishings. All rooms have free Wi-Fi, 32-inch flat-screen TVs, minibars, and electric tea kettles. The newer Signature tier rooms are all on one floor, have a modern decor, with coffeemakers and bathrooms with rainfall showers, iPod docks with speakers and surround sound, and extra business features, such as use of the Signature Room for private meetings. The largest of these rooms have sitting areas with sleek couches and ambient mood lighting, but note that some lack windows. 

The hotel has three casual on-site dining spots, with the Gazebo Restaurant serving a breakfast buffet, which is not included in the room rate, and all-day a la carte dining in addition to the changing buffets of Asian and Western cuisine. Harry's Bar and Lounge serves lunch and afternoon tea, while Champs sports bar is open for lunch and hosts a daily happy hour. Le Petit Salon is an espresso bar with a small pastry counter, with seating at a few small bistro tables. Business facilities include a business center with computer stations and printers, and two meeting rooms, which can be combined to host up to 70 people. There's also a fitness center, with cardio- and weight-training equipment. All guests get a free 3G smart phone with unlimited local calls, as well as free international calls to select countries. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout.