Hong Kong’s insatiable appetite for new nightspots continues with the opening of Hyde. The two-story club and lounge is just outside of Central’s main nightlife area, about one block from the escalator on Lyndhurst Terrace. Thursday night I stopped by the opening to have a look.
Hyde takes up the second and third floors of a commercial building at the intersection where Lyndurst Terrace splits with Wellington Street.
[photopress:hyde_club_hong_kong_address_HK.jpg,full,pp_image]Arriving on the early side, I took the elevator up to the third floor lounge. Stepping out into the space, there’s a row of pool tables to your left; a long bar in front of you, and a small seating area on the right. For smokers, the third floor also has several outdoor balconies.
[photopress:hyde_hong_kong_lounge_club.jpg,full,pp_image]The lounge has an open feel to it, which is not characteristic of Hong Kong, as tables are often jammed together to maximize revenue. The lack of tables is actually refreshing and makes the space seem even larger. At the time I walked in it was only sparsely crowded, but an hour later, the place was packed.
[photopress:hyde_address_hong_kong_club.jpg,full,pp_image] [photopress:hyde_lounge_hong_kong_bar.jpg,full,pp_image]After a while I decided to check out the club on the second floor. The two areas are connected by a staircase.
While Hyde doesn’t break any new ground design-wise, it has a few nice touches. The stairway connecting the two floors of the club has an interesting red-quilted decor.
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The club
The second floor club has a large dance floor and a centralized bar. The design is smart, and there’s enough room to maneuver around without a traffic jam. The larger-than-normal space perhaps makes it well suited for events.
There’s ample seating in the room with a variety of places to congregate. The main banks of tables are tucked away off to the side. Perhaps to the chagrin of the city’s big spenders, the tables are not as conspicuous as they are in Hong Kong’s high-end nightspots. For example, there isn’t a coveted table next to the d.j. booth.
The crowd
At the opening there wasn’t much overlap between the Volar / Dragon-i crowd and the people attending Hyde’s launch. The crowd consisted of slightly older, predominantly overseas Chinese and foreigners. A majority seemed to be working professionals.
Jekyll and Hyde?
Hyde’s dual-floor strategy is in keeping with the current reality of Hong Kong’s nightlife. The new places opening up around town are more adult and multi-use, rather than all-out dance clubs. Perhaps this reflects the belief that high-intensity clubs have limited use during off peak hours, and always need a large crowd to feel happening. Volar solves this problem by only opening one room on certain nights. Hyde could emulate this strategy by just opening one floor during slower week days. The billiards tables, though not original, add to this flexibility.
Hyde club and lounge
2/F, 3/F Lyndhurst Tower, 1 Lyndhurst Terrace
Central, Hong Kong