Not Dressing for the Occasion

Beware this hotel has a specific dress code!

This morning I met up with a friend for a tea at the lobby of the Peninsula Hong Kong in Tsim Sha Tsui.

He is known for wearing T-shirts, loud Hawaiian shirts, Bermuda shorts and flip flops. But today he dressed up and wore a collared shirt, shorts, and a pair of Birkenstocks.

When he asked if they served tea and coffee, the Peninsula staff replied yes; when he asked what else they offered they did not reply.

At first we were seated near the foyer of the lobby, but after we sat down, they suggested that since the gentleman was not appropriately dressed, we should sit by the window, away from other guests to avoid attracting attention. We obliged, still confused.

Turns out the hotel does have a specific dress code for each of its restaurants here: 

In the case of The Lobby, it says: "Smart casual wear is permitted. Exercise attire (including vests or exercise pants) or footwear for the beach (including flip flops, beach sandals or plastic footwear of any sort) is not allowed when dining at the restaurant."

But given the times we're in now, where the business climate is "challenging", the hotel had to accept us, sandals and all.

In the end they did serve us our teas (jasmine for him, mint for me), and even gave us four small sweet bites to eat. 

But it was quite the cold reception at "The Grand Old Lady"!