Prediction: There are going to be lots of international jet-setters taking their private planes from Cannes to Hong Kong in late May.
Art Basel Hong Kong’s debut is May 23-26, and this might be the best chance you’ll ever have to eat the world’s finest soup dumplings in between haggling with Larry Gagosian and all those Asian galleries used to dealing with the kind of high-rollers who will drop millions on modern paintings before bouncing over to Macau for a quick Baccarat session.
The Mandarin Oriental is Art Basel Hong Kong’s official hotel. (
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The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, overlooking Victoria Harbour on three sides, promises a dramatic backdrop. Expect the luxurious Pacific Place shopping/dining/stay-the-night complex a couple miles away, with its elite Upper House, Island Shangri-La, Conrad and JW Marriott hotels, to be a gathering place for oh-so-many people who’ve partied with Vito Schnabel. (After cocktail hour with billionaire South American holding-company heirs, Miami real estate moguls, LA film producers, UK modeling-agency bosses and New Zealand coal-mine magnates, you might want to see if any famous DJs are hanging out in front of the Lane Crawford department store’s sneaker-conveyor belt.) And the Four Seasons, the world’s only hotel with two restaurants that have three Michelin stars (Lung King Heen and Caprice), is going to sell a lot of tasting menus.
But the official hotel of Art Basel Hong Kong is the Mandarin Oriental. The resort is offering a Basel package (from about $630 per night, mandarinorientalhotel.com/hongkong) that includes accommodations, breakfast, an “art-inspired welcome tasty treat on arrival,” a bottle of champagne, entrance to the fair, use of the Art Collectors’ Lounge, access to Basel-related events and, best of all, an invite to the May 22 Vernissage.
Oh, you know how we said Basel is May 23-26? Those are the dates for the general public, but it actually starts a day earlier for VIPs. So factor that into your private-plane from Cannes schedule. No reason to head this far east if you’re not going to roll like a boss. artbasel.com
Follow Andy Wang on Twitter @andywangny.