Beary beary good

The Peninsula Hotel lobby's afternoon tea draws a bevy of local and international fans eager to soak in the ambience. Here tunes played by a balcony string quartet bounce off the elegant cornices. Yet many of today's social media influencers and Instagrammers may respectfully deem this decades-long tradition pass.

With the hospitality industry battered by the pandemic, hoteliers are eager to attract new audiences through shares and likes. The Peninsula is the latest luxury hotel to indulge influencers with a new concept targeting a younger market.

This year Peninsula Merchandising launched The Peninsula Boutique and Cafe, offering patrons one more afternoon tea option. Three times the size of its former incarnation, the store is the Hong Kong-based hotelier's flagship.

There are plenty of selfie spots in the space, with a dark and moody ambience courtesy of the architecture and interior design firm Conran & Partners. Balancing traditional and innovative motifs, The Peninsula's signature green color was used on plush banquets and carpets in the cafe and on the fronts of display stands in the boutique. The sparkle of champagne-hued metals in pendant lamps and display shelving reinforce the hotel's glamor.

"The combination of contemporary colors and details give the open plan interior a distinctive, modern edge and offsets the more classical elements, which appeals to the social media-savvy crowd," explains Guy Riddell, Peninsula Merchandising's general manager.

The store focuses on movement between three zones - retail, cafe and Assouline book corner, with each offering its own photogenic ambience and dedicated entries. Previously spatial restrictions meant that the boutique offered a limited product range and was predominantly a retailer. Now interactive and socially engaging chocolate tastings, tea tastings and other personalized services encourage visitors to immerse themselves in a curated Peninsula afternoon.