Hip, Cheap Boutique Hotels Challenge the Mainstream in Asia

by Josh Lew on

Cities like Hong Kong are known for their 5-star hotels. They are so known for these monuments to luxury that visitors might think that there are no 4,3,2, or 1 star options in the city. They’d almost be right. Not only does Hong Kong have highest population density in the world, it probably has the highest density of 5-star inns. Of course there are cheaper places to lay your head. But a new trend in the hotel game means you won’t have to put up with the shifty characters of Tsim Sha Tsui’s Chungking Mansions if you want a cheap room. Plenty of boutique hotels and mid-range chains are offering rooms for between $50-$100 per night.

Holiday Inn Express and Courtyard by Marriott are getting in on the mid-range hotel boom in Honkers, aiming their service at businesspeople not on an expense account who don’t want to pay 5-star prices. Boutique hotels like Hotel Jen (HK Island), Panorama (Kowloon) and Cosmo (Wan Chai) are part of the new trend as well. These places are all clean, well-furnished and tech friendly. They are centrally located. Most have a pool, exercises facilities and a hip vibe. Sure, they are not equipped to handle any outlandish request like luxury hotels are, but you don’t really need to smoke your hand rolled cigar while sitting in a bath filled with rose petals. Do you?

Photo of the Day (9.5.08)

by Aaron Hotfelder on


Remember the Olympics? This photo from the Closing Ceremonies in the National Stadium was taken by pirano. Notice the dancers on the balls, seemingly suspended in mid-air. Will we ever see another Olympics with such an impressive Opening and Closing Ceremonies?

Start practicing your large-group dancing, Londoners.

Want your photo considered for Gadling’s Photo of the Day? Submit it here.

Hooters in Beijing: Short Shorts and Moral Righteousness

by Josh Lew on

Hooters is all about saving fabric. The minimalistic uniforms and the comely staff members who fill them are aimed at drawing mostly male customers. As the Georgia-based restaurant chain goes global, one would probably expect more of the same. But, the Hooters in Beijing is not all about buxom waitresses hawking chicken wings and fries.

How can that be? The very name “Hooters” suggests nothing other than said buxom staff members, right?

The typical tank top and short shorts are still worn by the female staff, but the goal is not to fill them out in the same manner as at stateside Hooters. A server at Beijing’s Hooters told a journalist from McClatchy (who was there ONLY for the chicken wings): “It’s more sexy in the U. S. Here, it’s more about being healthy, friendly, cute and having moral righteousness.”

Hey, who says moral righteousness can’t go with short shorts and chicken wings. By the way, Beijing’s Hooters also features the occasional dance number, preformed by the staff to appropriately kitschy music. Perhaps the brand has lost something in translation.

China plans 236 mph rail link between Shanghai and Beijing

by Scott Carmichael on

The Chinese rail Ministry has announced plans to link the nations capital with its financial capital. Beijing and Shanghai are a little over 650 miles apart, and the current rail link takes over 10 hours.

The Chinese claim to have mastered the technology required to build their own high speed trains, and plan to operate them on the new line at speeds up to 236mph (380 km/h) which should cut the current journey time in half.

Previous high speed rail projects in China include one of the first commercial Maglev links which operates between Shanghai and the airport. In 2005 a regular high speed link between Beijing and Tianjin was opened and is based on the highly successful German ICE rolling stock.

High speed rail links have changed the landscape in Europe, and dedicated high speed lines already link the UK with France, Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany.

Being able to commute from city center to city center in under 5 hours will prove to be a very efficient solution in China, and will most certainly eat away at the airline market. The line is scheduled to be completed in 2012, a mere 4 years from now.

Beijing’s Olympic-Caliber Parties

by Josh Lew on

Hong Kong and Shanghai have long been the capitals of cool in the Sinosphere. But Beijing‘s trend-setters are trying to take advantage of the international attention brought by the Olympics to earn their own spot on Asia’s glamor map.

Apparently, they have been somewhat successful. Outrageously posh parties are taking place all over the capital of the Middle Kingdom.

The ironically named Commune, at the Great Wall, is a modernist luxury hotel complex. A recent event there was enough to make Chairman Mao do a 360-degree roll in his tomb. The venue’s developers were on hand, along with a host of scantily clad dancers, flashing lights and expensive cocktails, to party with the likes of Rupert “so rich ‘n powerful he doesn’t have to be cool” Murdoch and Quincey Jones.

Corporations are trying to get in on the scene as well. A party thrown by Adidas included an appearance by Jet Li and several other big-screen stars. The proceedings were accompanied by the sporadic popping of expensive champagne corks and the handing out of even more expensive sneakers.

Official Olympic timekeeper Omega tapped former supermodel (now just model?) Cindy Crawford to appear at their corporate pavilion wearing an impossibly expensive Omega watch. Even a noticeably casual George W. was hanging around during the first few days of the Games, looking very ex-presidential.

Beijing certainly has its share of new wealth, so don’t expect all the action and celebrity to depart once the Games end. A growing music scene, a film industry that is coming to resemble Hong Kong’s in its heyday, and an independent arts scene will help keep the hipness factor high.