Jia Hong Kong Boutique Hotel

Detailed Review

JIA, Hong Kong's hippest hotel, has breathed new life and style into the city's buzzing Causeway Bay area. The first boutique hotel in Asia designed by Philippe Starck, JIA features 54 sensuous rooms, all with kitchens and impressive home entertainment systems, a stunning lobby, convenient conference room and an open air podium. OPIA will be closed from April 30, 2008 in preparation for a new and exciting restaurant and bar concept which will be launched later this year.

Press Quotes

"....fast-living business travellers and demanding jet-setters will appreciate the serviced-apartment set-up." Conde Nast Traveller 06

Independent Reviews

Jia Boutique Hotel and Apartments
By Caroline Major

Nestled in the hurley burley of Causeway Bay, Jia straddles a line between hotel and serviced apartments. Once a decidedly downmarket stop-over for flag following mainlanders, the Philippe Starck guided transformation of the building on the corner of Irving Street is absolute. It’s a departure from both the before and the alternative offerings in Hong Kong. From one hundred rooms, Starck knocked down walls to morph the hotel into fifty seven impressively practical studios and suites, each bearing his trade-marks: Clever, playful and stylish design manifesting in extremely livable spaces. All in all a comforting cup of ‘Jia’, the Mandarin word for home.

Every room is a fully featured ‘mini’, the newly hip class of apartment appearing rapidly on space starved Asian city sky-lines. Two variations on a 380square feet studio, the 780 square foot suite and the 1570 square foot all have kitchens with microwave ovens, full sized refrigerators with freezers and work areas. All are thoughtfully hidden away by a rolling teak door in the penthouses and behind gossamer curtains in the suites. In the bathrooms luxuriate in full sized bottles of Kiels product. Even in the studios, the most mini of the mini the work space is well planned and comfortable. It’s possible to do some serious work there without feeling like you’re trapped in a corner, staring at a wall. A prescient touch is the free broadband connections and local telephone calls in all room classes. Everyone hates to watch the minutes when going about the simple business of life on the move.

In all four room types white spaces on top of honeyed teak wood floors conceal ample space for storing away the luggage while quirky footstools provide fun and colour heading off any starkness at the pass. In the suites and penthouses plenty of well cushioned sofas invite relaxing with friends; an important consideration in an apartment hotel where guests are likely to be staying upwards of a month. Particularly clever are the custom designed audio visual units which spin 360degrees. You can watch television from any of the many comfy curl-up spots in the rooms. Curtained off spaces and alcoves in the suites give a sense of privacy without causing claustrophobia and add a romantic touch to the quirky rooms. Mine had a pair of colourful plastic gnome stools which made both me and my guests smile. For all the seriousness of Jias’ design pedigree, this is one hotel which does not take itself too seriously.

Downstairs in the common areas, the comfort continues. On the second floor is an outdoor terrace bordered with nicely lit plants screening for privacy but still allowing for the atmosphere of the street below to filter through. Enjoy a cigarette, a glass of wine or the newspaper while you wait for your washing to tumble in the machines provided free for guests. Features like this that make Jia a unique offering for savvy travellers who expect comfort and style without having to pay exorbitantly and who aren’t afraid of a little work. For our money the cross-over between hotel and apartment is something to watch for in increasingly jet-set working lives.

In the lobby, the fun continues with fantastical pairings of classical furniture covered with modern textures and contemporary works of art. It’s glamorous and lavish but light-hearted. In the mornings, there’s a minimally adequate breakfast for people on the move. Help yourself to the fresh pastries, fruits, coffee and juices tucked away behind an always open bar dispensing soft-drinks beers and nibbles. In the evening, bottles of wine appear to encourage a mingling with the other guests and a community of sorts to establish itself between the longer stay residents.

Jia is a timely addition to the Asian hotel scene and sets a trend that’s likely to prove successful with people who spend their lives on the go. It offers a classy alternative to the five star chains that predominate in Asia. If you value privacy over ever-present service and understand the benefits of a (small) suite at the same price as a standard room in a five star book into Jia.



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• "Philippe Starck reaches Asia - a bright, white boutique hotel in Causeway Bay with a futuristic, urban edge and friendly staff."

  A Philippe Starck-designed mini-hotel offering maximum comfort and style on space-starved Hong Kong island, this is TI's top recommendation for a boutique hotel here.