Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Sha Tin

The steel frame, green-glass building of the Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Sha Tin is big but architecturally unremarkable. Its glassy, high-ceilinged lobby features an enormous rectangular light box suspended from the ceiling, and a stretch of black marble acts as the front desk accommodating six receptionists. Seating, a cluster of low, red chairs and tables, is limited for an otherwise vast lobby. Cocoa-brown wingback chairs and racks of magazines are placed near the elevators. The wedding business is brisk; the hotel has a 4,628-square-foot ballroom that attracts wedding parties. For business guests, there are nine technologically equipped meeting rooms and three salons. Travelers from across the globe stay here, and the hotel is also popular with Chinese couples and families on vacation. 

Giving its guests a respite from Hong Kong's frantic pace, this Hyatt hotel is located in Sha Tin, one of 18 districts in the New Territories. It is a 24-minute drive or 50-minute train ride to Connaught Road in central Hong Kong. The Mass Transit Rail line and Citylink Plaza bus termini is a five-minute walk from the hotel. The closest attraction, a seven-minute walk away, is the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Other attractions are at least a 30-minute walk making a car useful if guests want to go sightseeing. Within a five-minute drive, hotel guests can drive to shop at Sha Tin New Town Plaza, gamble at the 85,000-seat Sha Tin Race Course, one of two horse racing venues in Hong Kong, and visit the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery. The Hong Kong Heritage Museum is six minutes away by car. There are three 18-hole courses at the Hong Kong Golf Course, a 29-minute car ride away. The Hong Kong International Airport is 36 minutes by car or 92 minutes by train. 

The Hyatt's rooms are spacious: Standard rooms begin at 409 square feet with extended stay rooms as big as 872 square feet. The generous proportions are amplified by the use of beige in fabrics, wallpaper and rugs, and blond-wood furnishings, a decorating scheme that could stand to be enlivened by a few pops of color. Raised platform beds made up simply with white and beige bedding, are typically king-size, though twin beds are used in some standard rooms. Office chairs on casters and small desks with table-top outlets give every room a workspace. Views face the harbor or the mountains, making the most of the location. All rooms have upscale amenities such as spa robes, terry-cloth slippers, 42-inch LCD flat-screen TVs, minibars, electric kettles, and tea and coffee, irons, safes, and free Wi-Fi. The bathrooms are walled in beige tile with porcelain tubs and sinks surrounded by beige marble and Portico Spa toiletries. A glass wall, flanking the tub, offers a view to the TV or the window beyond. Toilets are in a separate stall as are the rainfall showers. 

The Hyatt Regency's goal is to give enough features that guests won't have any reason to leave the property, and with several restaurants and leisure options, they pretty much succeed. Chefs prepare a menu that includes Dongguan and northern Chinese food in show kitchens under drum lights in the Sha Tin 18, a restaurant with pearl-gray chairs and mauve banquettes. There is all-day dining in the Cafe, and 24-hour room service is also available. The mountainside pool includes rope lanes for lap swims, a whirlpool, and a bar for refreshments. A fitness center provides another spot to stay active, with free weights, cardio and weightlifting machines, and watercoolers. There's a grand ballroom for weddings, parties, and corporate events. A business center with videoconferencing, a computer workroom, and laptops and cell phone rentals are some of the amenities available to business travelers. Secretarial and translation services are also available for a fee. The 12-and-under set can enroll in Camp Hyatt for indoor and outdoor play. And adults can unwind at the full-service spa in a serene and tasteful space. Aside from the expected amenities, there are a few signature accents including an apple pie with local honey at the on-site bakery, a pomelo-fruit cocktail at the bar plus a pomelo spa treatment, an elegant flower shop, and live music of ballads and jazz standards at the Tin Tin Bar. The Regency Club, on the hotel's 25th floor, is an additional fee, but it's a good choice for business travelers and families. It offers a breakfast buffet, evening cocktails, snacks, and all-day coffee and tea, one hour of time in a meeting room, and access to a private concierge.