Hettie Lam
Hettie Lam's earliest memory is of running down the carpeted corridors of the Peninsula Hong Kong, where her father was deputy general manager. She grew up between hotels in Hong Kong, Bangkok and Bali, studied hospitality management in Lausanne, and did stints at the Ritz in Paris and Claridge's in London before returning to Hong Kong to work in luxury F&B and communications.
She knows the industry from the inside — which housekeeper has been at the Mandarin since 1987, what a great hotel breakfast actually costs to make, and who really books the suite that goes for HK$80,000 a night. She turned to writing in 2022 and now reviews everything from flagship openings to mid-tier staycations.
Hettie rewards readers who care about craft, with a particular love of the small details — the weight of a key card, the temperature of the bath water — and zero patience for bad service.
Beats
Stories Hettie writes
- The staycation report: I tested 6 Hong Kong hotels in one month so you don't have to
- Afternoon tea, ranked: from the Mandarin to the new kid in West Kowloon
- What a great hotel breakfast actually costs to make (and why most are terrible)
- The disappearing art of the hotel concierge — and who's keeping it alive in HK