Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong

Lichfield Suite, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong; 852-2522-0111; mandarinoriental.com/hongkong. There are 502 rooms; doubles range from $460 to $615. The Lichfield Suite is $2,440.

After Chris Patten, last british governor of Hong Kong, sailed away and the People's Liberation Army marched across the border, a certain apprehension descended on the residents. After all, many of them had fled China's communism for the freedoms of a British colony. Whispers that the Mandarin Oriental—whose white-gloved doormen and tea with crumpets symbolized crisp British rule—might close, underscored the gloom. They needn't have worried. Ten years later, Hong Kong, and the Mandarin, are born again. China's exports are booming, and the former colony is beaming with confidence, a spirit reflected in the Mandarin's revamped Lichfield Suite, an homage to Patrick Lichfield, the swinging sixties photographer who often stayed here. Lest we forget that Beijing is the real seat of power, I. M. Pei's angular Bank of China Tower makes the point.