Hotel ICON

Hotel ICON is a genuinely unusual property: a full 5-star hotel wholly owned by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and run as a working teaching and research hotel for its School of Hotel and Tourism Management, since opening in September 2011.

Location

17 Science Museum Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon — a short walk from the Hong Kong Science Museum and a slightly different, quieter pocket of Tsim Sha Tsui than the main waterfront strip.

What it's known for

A rooftop pool on Level 9 with Victoria Harbour views, architecture by Hong Kong-based Rocco Design Architects (awarded the Hong Kong Institute of Architects' Medal of the Year for the building), and 262 rooms across 28 floors. Staff include hospitality students training on the job, identifiable by their orange name badges — part of the hotel's core mission rather than an inconvenience to work around.

Who it suits

Travellers who want a genuine 5-star experience with a distinctive, mission-driven backstory, and who don't mind a Tsim Sha Tsui East location slightly removed from the main waterfront promenade in exchange for a quieter setting.