Inside, crown-moulded ceilings and a 19th-century Edwardian palette of browns and creams lend the arcade a sense of continuity with the rest of the hotel. Shopfronts sit flush against the marbled walls that wrap around the ground-floor foyer, where Rolex and Goyard anchor the main café areas. Shoppers move through the lobby rather than up escalators to fitting appointments that can be bookended by lunch and afternoon tea.

Locals can dart in for groceries while guests peruse the wares, before making for their rooms. Tailor at Regent Shop 1 / 2 Tailor at Regent Shop 1 / 2 The Chanel shop 2 / 2 “The Peninsula retail arcades are where luxury started in Asia – in Hong Kong in the 1970s,” says Benjamin Vuchot, the CEO of The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels group. “This was the only option when it came to showcasing luxury brands.

Hong Kong was where Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Van Cleef & Arpels and Hermès first had an Asian presence.” Today the arcade extends across three levels and houses more than 80 tenants, including lifestyle brands, fashion and jewellery outlets, and grocery shops (gourmet supermarket Mercato draws nearby residents looking for specialist produce). International labels sit alongside independents: Jimmy Chen & Co, one of the city’s longest-standing bespoke tailors, continues to operate here with a lease that’s secured for life. On the lower level, the Peninsula Boutique and Café sells the hotel’s own branded goods.

Since 1928 The Peninsula has produced chocolate, tea blends and chilli sauce. More recently, it has added towels and linens for shoppers keen to recreate something of the experience at home. Home décor at Lala Curio 1 / 4 Home décor at Lala Curio 1 / 4 Novel Fineries jewellers 2 / 4 Traditional pieces at Tangs 3 / 4 Anyone for mahjong? 4 / 4 The tenant mix is adjusted carefully.

Alongside established names, short-term arrangements allow for fresh ideas. Italian jeweller Vhernier recently chose the arcade for its debut outpost in Asia, while home-décor label Lala Curio has recently established a flagship upstairs. The Peninsula understands its audience.

The arcade is lively even in the middle of the day, with a small orchestra providing a soundtrack for shoppers. Customers can be seen queueing outside the most popular shops, as staff usher clients through the arrivals procedure while other guests clip across the marble floors to linger among the window displays and enjoy the spectacle.peninsula.com Lap of luxuryThree highlights among The Peninsula arcade’s boutiques, fashion houses and speciality shops, dotted across three floors. VhernierKnown for innovative pieces hand-sculpted in Italy, Milan-based jewellery brand Vhernier – which is part of the Richemont family – recently chose The Peninsula’s arcade for its first outpost in Asia.

The Peninsula Boutique and CaféThis elegant but intimate café offers perfectly brewed coffees and irresistible cakes alongside delicacies and an extensive collection of speciality gifts. The hotel has long produced its own tea and chilli sauce – and now also stocks linens and towels. Stop by if you’re keen to take a slice of the experience home. Jimmy Chen & CoOne of the city’s oldest bespoke tailors, the renowned Jimmy Chen & Co is a shop that’s stitched into the fabric of the arcade.