Where to Stay in Hong Kong
Regal Oriental Hotel is hosting travelers arriving at Hong Kong International Airport while they await their Covid-19 test results. Consequently, regular hotel guests moved to other properties. Meanwhile, the hotel’s restaurants are temporarily closed.
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Regal Oriental Hotel Overview
Hotel lobby of the Regal Oriental Hong Kong. Photo Credit: Regal Hotels.
Regal Oriental Hotel Hong Kong is a full service hotel. And it is located in the historic Kowloon City district of the Kowloon Peninsula.
In addition to nearly 500 rooms and suites, the hotel has several food and beverage outlets.
Because the hotel is close to the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, it is popular with cruise ship passengers.
Interestingly, Kai Tak was originally the site of Hong Kong International Airport before it moved to Chek Lap Kok.
Temporary Holding Centre for Covid-19 Test Results
All asymptomatic passengers arriving at Hong Kong International Airport from 22 April 2020 are being tested for Covid-19 until further notice.
The Hong Kong Department of Health (DH) has set up a Temporary Specification Collection Centre (TSCC) at AsiaWorld-Expo, which adjoins the airport.
Travelers arriving in Hong Kong in the morning can await their results at the site.
If they arrive in the afternoon or evening, their results will not be ready until the next day. Therefore, a coach will take them to the Regent Oriental Hotel, where they will spend the night.
The Department of Health has designated the hotel a Holding Centre for Test Results. Regular hotel guests moved to other properties in the Regal Hotels group before the first coronavirus testees arrived on 22 April 2020.
While at the hotel, the virus test-takers must remain in their own room. They cannot wander around the property.
Did this mean they could not dine in one of the hotel’s six food and beverage outlets?
When I called the hotel to find out, I discovered that all of the F&B outlets were temporarily closed.
In fact, if testees left their hotel room, they would be subject to up to six months in jail and a fine of HK$25,000.
Food and Beverage Arrangements
So I asked what arrangements the hotel had made for food and beverage. For example, could testees call room service? Or would they receive set meals?
I was told to consult the Department of Health. But when I did, the answer was vague.
“The hotel will provide basic catering services during the accommodation period,” the DH says.
According to a report in the South China Morning Post, hotel staff left meals outside hotel rooms. But not all testees were satisfied.
One testee said he only received a croissant at 9 am for breakfast. And there was nothing for lunch.
“I rang the hotel staff for two hours and was not given any lunch,” he told the newspaper.
“I was so hungry that I ended up eating the untouched lunchbox outside the room opposite mine.”
Travelers whose results are negative can leave the hotel and spend their 14-day quarantine at home.
If this if not possible, they can spend it in a government-run quarantine facility.
Meanwhile, passengers testing positive and close contacts will be sent to hospitals and designated quarantine centres.
There has been no word as to how long the Hong Kong Department of Health will use the hotel as a holding centre.
Regal Oriental Hotel Accommodation
The Regal Oriental Hotel has 494 guest rooms and suites. There are several room types. They have either one king size bed, two queen size beds, or as many as four single beds.
Some of the suites have panoramic views of Victoria Harbour and the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal. Most rooms have double glazed windows.
Among the hotel’s 24 suites is a lavish presidential suite. It measures 107 square meters. And it has 5 meter long floor-to-ceiling windows with sweeping views.
Regal Oriental Hotel Food and Beverage Outlets
The Regal Oriental Hotel Hong Kong has five food and beverage outlets and a patisserie.
These facilities are temporarily closed while the hotel serves as a holding centre for travelers being tested for the Wuhan virus.
- The China Coast Pub + Restaurant – serves wines, spirits, and beers from around the world. Famous for its signature cocktails and yummy snacks.
- Moon River – serves Asian cuisine with a focus on dishes popular in Hong Kong.
- Avanti Pizzeria – serves Italian cuisine, including 15 kinds of pizza, seven kinds of spaghetti, and more than 30 types of starters, soups, and salads. In addition, the restaurant serves grilled meats.
- Regal Terrace – a fine-dining Chinese restaurant serving authentic Cantonese cuisine, including dim sum.
- Cafe Neo – a buffet restaurant with an international menu.
- Regal Patisserie – sells tempting cakes and pastries as well as salads and sandwiches.
Regal Oriental Hotel Facilities
The hotel has a small fitness room. Equipment includes cardio-vascular equipment and free weights.
In addition to laundry and dry cleaning services, the hotel has a self-service laundry room
The hotel has seven flexible meeting facilities. They can accommodate up to 300 attendees.
Presumably, these facilities are currently off limits.
Regal Oriental Hotel Location
Regal Oriental Hotel – 30 – 38 Sa Po Road, Kowloon City, Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong.
The hotel is a five minute walk from Kowloon City Plaza.
The nearest MTR stations are Kowloon Tong and Mongkok. And you can reach either MTR station by public transport in about 15 minutes.
If you are in Hong Kong to attend a convention, the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre is 8 kilometers away. And the drive takes about 20 minutes.
However, if the event at Asiaworld Expo, the distance is 38 kilometers. And the travel time is about 35 minutes by car.
The hotel is 40 kilometres from Hong Kong International Airport. The drive takes about 35 minutes.
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