Butterfly on Waterfront

The Butterfly on Waterfront is a modern Hong Kong hotel, with compact common spaces that manage, through judicious lighting and cool decor, not to feel claustrophobic. The high-rise building itself is sandwiched between commercial and apartment buildings, but once inside, guests are transported to a bright, welcoming, and spotlessly clean hotel that even offers rooms with purified air. This Butterfly outpost -- a local chain -- is very urban, with lots of black, silver, copper, or red accents and large photo murals depicting cityscapes. Tourists and business travelers both appreciate the tech-focus of this property, especially free smartphones that guests can borrow during their stay to make getting around the maze of city streets easier. These types of extras make this hotel a good value, and it has far more character than many other urban Hong Kong hotels.

The Butterfly on Waterfront is located on Hong Kong's busy Connaught Road, surrounded by tall office buildings, with gorgeous, unobstructed views of Victoria Harbour and the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal from the rooms. The immediate area is up-and-coming, with an elevated highway just in front of the lobby and plenty of trucks passing by. There are some famous market roads nearby, like Dried Seafood Street and Tonic Food Street, and while some guests note a seafood scent outside, this doesn't follow guests within hotel walls. There is a nice park with space for jogging or strolling across the road. Plenty of hip, trendy cafes, restaurants, galleries, and design boutiques are located throughout the Sai Ying Pun neighborhood. Artsy Hollywood Road is a two-block walk from the front door. The tram line is just around the corner, and the Sai Ying Pun subway stop is within a three-minute walk. For business travelers, the Sheung Wan business center and the financial district are within five to 10 minutes on foot. Hong Kong Disneyland is seven miles away. It's an eight-minute taxi ride to the Airport Express Hong Kong Station, which connects to the international airport in one hour (taxis to the airport can take up to 40 minutes depending on traffic). There is no parking at this location.

Rooms at the Butterfly on Waterfront are spotless and contemporary with fresh, sleek decor that makes the most of what can be compact spaces (Superior Rooms only come in at 150 square feet, or 14 square meters). There is a window seat for enjoying the views and the bedside table doubles as a small work desk. The platform bed conceals a drawer in which the safe is embedded. Closets don't have doors, and, in some rooms, clothes hang from a bar against the wall. Each room features a cool wall-size photo mural above the bed, most of which are black-and-white skyscraper scenes shot from interesting angles. All rooms include large flat-screen TVs, multimedia docking stations, mini fridges, safes, and free toiletries. Wi-Fi is free throughout. Bathrooms are gorgeous, with mosaic tiling and walk-in showers, as well as beautifully designed modern fixtures. Upper category rooms may have separate soaking tubs and showers, as well as Nespresso coffeemakers. Family HarbourView Rooms are extremely large (350 square feet, or 33 square meters), with lots of open space and sunlight. Pure Air Rooms benefit from air that has been filtered. 

The Butterfly on Waterfront features the Glo Restaurant and Lounge, an intimate urban cafe with an open kitchen, serving small plates or tapas-sized portions from an all-you-can-eat or tasting menu. A total of 18 dishes are offered for a fixed price, and diners can eat for two hours. At lunchtime, Glo offers two- and three-course set menus. The hotel offers a set breakfast menu, but it is only included with certain room rates. There are stand-up computer stations and printers in the lobby. The hotel offers free smartphones to guests to help them navigate the city via preloaded apps and websites, as well as to place local calls. Wi-Fi is free throughout. There is no fitness center or pool.