Yeoh Siew Hoon returns to Hong Kong and finds a city that's abuzz -

"It's foggy today," I said to the driver who had picked me up from Hong Kong airport.

"No, it's hazy," he replied.

That's what I like about Hong Kong. No beating about the bush. A city that's all about getting to the point, from point to point, but all done with style of course.

The driver is well-trained. "There is water by your seat and newspaper," he said. I can't read in a moving vehicle so I IM on my Blackberry. I have just read an article that says "high" users of Blackberry should "blackout" for the sake of their own health and sanity.

It says people like me – I willingly commit myself to the "high" user ward – "tend to have a distorted perception of their own usage and they equate their Blackberry use with being dedicated to their job".

I am not sure about dedication but when you stay at a grand hotel in Hong Kong, you could end up with a distorted perception of your own importance as a human being.

View of the "flying squid " from my room in the Grand Hyatt (below)

The Grand Hyatt may be an old hotel compared to the newcomers who have popped up around town but it runs like a well-oiled piece of machinery.

The service is impeccable and it's everywhere. There's always someone there to open the door, usher you to the lifts, escort you to the toilets, hand you towels after you've done your business, pour you coffee, take away your empty glass – it's like living in Service Sensurround and you feel you're the leading actor.

The check-in is smooth and efficient with just the right amount of warmth – not too gushy, not too impersonal. You could almost call it professionally personal.

The room I have is a corner one and has everything you would expect a grand hotel to have. What I particularly like is the fact that everything is hidden away – the hot water pot sits inside a brown box. The power points are all tucked behind bits of wood. The Internet cable is wrapped up and stored in, yes, another wooden box by the bed. It's like playing hide-and-seek.

The bonus is of course the view of the harbour and my room sits right on top of the roof of the convention centre and I almost feel like I could sit on that flying squid and fly across the harbour.

Such are the flights of imagination the view evokes until suddenly, one afternoon, while I was typing away at my computer 23 floors above the ground, two men appeared right in front of my window.

They were window cleaners or at least I hope so. I am startled as they are. Thank goodness I am dressed, otherwise I'd have to hide myself in a wooden box. I wave to them and they smile. An unexpected encounter of the elevated kind.

Out on the streets, I feel the elevated spirits of a city that feels it's back on its feet, business-wise. The Grand Hyatt is full. The receptionist tells me they are running 100% on the day I am due to check out. There is a big group from China due to attend a major event at the convention centre.

My hotelier friends tell me business has bounced back and corporate travel is on the upswing again. They are all smiling again.

Big groups from the mainland are everywhere actually in Hong Kong these days – especially in the shopping malls. From Pacific Place to IFC to Times Square, the shoppers are clearly from China and they are walking out with bagfuls of branded items.

The retail scene, sensing that's where the bucks are, has clearly adapted. You walk in and the service is always professionally personal. Someone always greets you, asks if they can help you – all in Mandarin of course if you look Chinese – and they all bid you goodbye when you leave.

Yes, Hong Kong is back and it's great to be back.

Yeoh Siew Hoon, one of Asia's most respected travel editors and commentators, writes a regular column on news, trends and issues in the hospitality industry for 4Hoteliers.com.

Siew Hoon, who has covered the tourism industry in Asia/Pacific for the past 20 years, runs SHY Ventures Pte Ltd. Her other writings can be found at www.thetransitcafe.com

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