Cool to be eclectic

For Yenn Wong, the force behind Hong Kong's premier boutique hotel, individuality is more important than following the fashion mob

The auguries were not good - one fat cheque from her father, one germ of an idea about a hotel and experience of the industry limited to the guest side of a reception desk. But Yenn Wong has emerged triumphant from a project which she admits, in its early days, was 'one big mess'.

Critics told her a boutique hotel would not work in Hong Kong, but 18 months after the opening of Jia, she has wiped the smiles off the faces of those who laughed when they heard the location for this non-starter would be grubby Causeway Bay. Today, occupancy averages about 80 per cent. The hotel has received generous media attention worldwide and is rubbing shoulders with the likes of Amankora Bhutan, the Evason Hideaway at Ana Mandara, and W Seoul Walkerhill on the Conde Nast Traveler Hot List for 2005.

'It's been really good actually. We have done really well,' says a nonchalant Wong. The hotel's two restaurants, Opia and Y's, have become hip hang-outs for the local in-crowd. Guest rooms are frequently occupied by well-heeled travellers from the fashion, design and media industries, and travellers who prefer eclectic rather than uniform surroundings and appreciate an unique, informal ambience.

With the exception of a pair of large, dark superstar sunglasses that frame her face, the petite Wong does not embody the voguish image one might expect from the executive director of a hotel-of-the-moment with the stamp of Philippe Starck.

The 26-year-old shuns the fixation Hong Kong fashionistas have with the big brands. 'They're almost obsessed ... they have to show that they're really wearing the most current fashion and I think it's a little too much,' she says. Her favourite shopping trips are to small boutiques offering unique designs.