| The Peninsula Hong Kong | |
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| "the finest hotel east of Suez" | |
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| Location | Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui Hong Kong |
| Coordinates | |
| Opening date | December 1928 |
| Management | Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels |
| Owner | Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels |
| Rooms | 300 |
| Restaurants | 8 |
| Website | www.peninsula.com/Hong_Kong |
The Peninsula Hong Kong (Chinese: 香港半島酒店) is one of the most internationally recognizable hotels in Hong Kong.[1] Opened in 1928, it is Hong Kong's most historical hotel. It is located at the junction of Nathan Road and Salisbury Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. Founded by members of the Kadoorie family, the hotel today is part of the Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels group headed by Sir Michael Kadoorie, is the flagship property of the The Peninsula Hotels group. The Peninsula has been voted the world's best hotel on several occasions, and is widely regarded as one of the region's legendary properties.
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It was opened in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong in December 1928, built with the idea that it would be "the finest hotel east of Suez." The location of the hotel was strategic, as passengers arriving in Hong Kong by ocean liner disembarked onto the quays of Kowloon, directly opposite the hotel. Kowloon was also the last stop on the trans-Siberian rail link that brought travelers from Europe. As such, the Peninsula hotel was ideally situated to take advantage of the increasing number of wealthy visitors to the area.
From the moment the hotel opened its doors to the first guest, the Peninsula name has been synonymous with welcoming the rich, the famous, the titled and the titans of industry to a place of unsurpassed luxury and service. The hotel is also distinguished by its fleet of signature Rolls-Royces, which can be hired by guests. These cars are painted in a distinctive shade of green known as "Peninsula green".
On 25 December 1941, at the end of the Battle of Hong Kong, British colonial officials led by the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Mark Aitchison Young, surrendered in person at the Japanese headquarters on the third floor of The Peninsula. The Governor was confined for two months in one of the hotel suites before he was shipped to a prison in Shanghai. The resort was then renamed "Tōa Hotel" (東亜ホテル "East Asia Hotel"), and the rooms were reserved for Japanese officers and high-ranking dignitaries, while Hong Kong sank into misery and destitution.[2] In his book God Is My Co-Pilot, Colonel Robert Lee Scott, Jr., USAAF, commander of the 23d Fighter Group, China Air Task Force, described in detail an aerial raid he led on the Japanese shipping anchored in Hong Kong harbour, conducted 25 October 1942, and the lone attack he personally made in his Curtiss P-40K Warhawk (nicknamed Old Exterminator) upon the famous Peninsula Hotel:
"So I looped above Victoria Harbor and dove for the Peninsula Hotel. My tracers ripped into the shining plateglass of the penthouses on its top, and I saw the broken windows cascade like snow to the streets, many floors below. I laughed, for I knew that behind those windows were Japanese high officers, enjoying that modern hotel. When I got closer I could see uniformed figures going down the fire escapes, and I shot at them...I turned for one more run on the packed fire escapes filled with Jap soldiers, but my next burst ended very suddenly. I was out of ammunition."[3]
It was restored to its original name after Japan was defeated and the British regained control of the colony.
In 1994, an extension was added to the original hotel in the form of a 30-storey tower, which is topped off by a helipad.
In 1994, the hotel was expanded with a 30-story tower that follows the same style as the existing building. The facade of the existing hotel building was preserved, including the forecourt, the lobby and the front facade. The hotel remained in operation while construction commenced.[4]
The new tower also includes a helipad for clients. It is one of only two private rooftop helipads in the territory, the other being located on top of the Shun Tak Centre. The helipads are used to transport the hotel's VIP clients to the Hong Kong International Airport, with flight duration being 7 minutes.
The total number of rooms in the hotel was increased to 300 as 132 rooms and suites were created. There are 10 floors of office space, shops and a series of hotel facilities added to the existing hotel buildings.[5]
The Peninsula Hotel has a collection of highly acclaimed restaurants. They include the gourmet French restaurant Gaddi's, which has one of the first Chef's Tables in Hong Kong, and the Philippe Starck-designed Felix. Other notable restaurants include Spring Moon, Imasa, and Chesa, which specialize in Cantonese, Japanese, and Swiss cuisine respectively.
The Lobby of the Peninsula serves traditional English-style Afternoon Tea, reminiscent of Hong Kong's colonial era.[6]
The Peninsula Hotel has one of the oldest fashion arcades in Hong Kong. Throughout the years, it has hosted world renown brands such as Chanel, Dior, Hermès, Gucci, Prada, Shiatzy Chen, Louis Vuitton and Cartier. Apart from international fashion houses, it has also launched some of the most prominent Hong Kong brands, such as Betty Charnuis Clemos in the 60s, Dickson Poon in the 70s and Joyce Boutique in the 80s.
Since December 2006, the hotel has had a fleet of 14 Long Wheelbase Rolls-Royce Phantoms painted in the hotel's signature green. This was the largest order placed for Rolls-Royce in the history of the company.[7] It replaces a fleet of Rolls-Royce Silver Spurs.
The Peninsula Hotel Hong Kong has been recognised as an internationally leading hotel in many areas.[8] It has received awards from Condé Nast Traveler magazine, Travel + Leisure, and other industry organizations.
The hotel is mentioned in Paul House's novel Harbour, and the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun starring Roger Moore, where the hotel's fleet of Rolls-Royce Silver Shadows is mentioned.
The hotel was prominently displayed in the 1988 NBC television miniseries Noble House.
In 2007, The Peninsula was used for a scene in the superhero film The Dark Knight, involving actors Morgan Freeman and Chin Han, who played Lucius Fox and Lau, respectively. The hotel was chosen, as it was one of the only two private helipads in the SAR and the producers preferred the roof of The Peninsula over that of Shun Tak Centre. [9]
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