The Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong is a
five-star hotel on
Connaught Road Central
Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Delbhn ...
in
Central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
,
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
, owned and managed by
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group International Limited (MOHG) is a Hong Kong hotel investment and management group focusing on luxury hotels, resorts, and residences, with a total of 33 properties worldwide, 20 of which are fully or partially ow ...
.
History
Construction of the hotel on the site of the colonial
Queen's Building on the waterfront in Central Hong Kong
[Press Kits , Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group](_blank)
Mandarinoriental.com. was announced on July 9, 1960, with the name Queen's Hotel. On August 24, 1962, the ''
South China Morning Post
The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained ...
'' reported that the unfinished hotel's name had been changed to The Mandarin, because "a nationwide survey of the United States seeking American reaction to the hotel name shows that the American public, who comprised the majority of this Colony’s tourists, preferred the exotic-sounding Mandarin." The topping off ceremony was held on March 28, 1963. The cost of construction was
HK$
The Hong Kong dollar (, sign: HK$; code: HKD) is the official currency of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It is subdivided into 100 cents or 1000 mils. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority is the monetary authority of Hong Kong and ...
42 million, and
HK$
The Hong Kong dollar (, sign: HK$; code: HKD) is the official currency of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It is subdivided into 100 cents or 1000 mils. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority is the monetary authority of Hong Kong and ...
66 million was spent on interior decoration. John Howarth, of the
Leigh & Orange
Leigh & Orange Ltd ( Chinese: 利安, formerly known as 李柯倫治), founded in Hong Kong in 1874, is an international architectural and interior design practice. The group has a total of 550 staff and operates through its headquarter ...
architectural firm, designed the building, while the interior was designed by
Don Ashton.
The Mandarin opened to the public on September 1, 1963 and celebrated its grand opening on October 24, 1963. The hotel was managed by
Intercontinental Hotels
Intercontinental is an adjective to describe something which relates to more than one continent.
Intercontinental may also refer to:
* Intercontinental ballistic missile, a long-range guided ballistic missile
* InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG ...
from its opening until 1974. At 26 storeys, it was the
tallest building in Hong Kong
Hong Kong has over 9,000 Tower block, high-rise buildings, of which over 4,000 are skyscrapers standing taller than with 517 buildings above . The tallest building in Hong Kong is the 108-storey International Commerce Centre, which stands ...
. It was the first hotel in Hong Kong to have
direct dial phones and the first in Asia to include a bath in every guestroom.
[Jon, Peter. (10 July 2014]
History of the Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong – Articles , Travel + Leisure
Travelandleisure.com. The Mandarin was originally adjacent to Victoria Harbour, but as a result of extensive
land reclamation
Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new land from oceans, seas, riverbeds or lake beds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamati ...
in the waterfront area, the harbour is now several blocks away. In 1988, it was renamed the Mandarin Oriental. In 2003, the hotel was the site of the suicide of actor and singer
Leslie Cheung
Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing (12 September 1956 – 1 April 2003) was a Hong Kong singer and actor. Throughout a 26-year career from 1977 until his death, Cheung released over 40 music albums and acted in 56 films. He was one of the most prominent ...
, who jumped from the 26th storey of the building. In 2005 the hotel underwent a US$150 million renovation.
Facilities
The hotel contains 501 guestrooms, 67 of which are suites, overlooking
Victoria Harbour
Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour in Hong Kong separating Hong Kong Island in the south from the Kowloon Peninsula to the north. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on South China Sea were instrumental i ...
. There are ten restaurants and bars. The
Michelin-starred
The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of a ...
Pierre
Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...
, Chef
Pierre Gagnaire
Pierre Gagnaire (born 9 April 1950 in Apinac, Loire) is a French chef, and the head chef and owner of the eponymous Pierre Gagnaire restaurant at 6 rue Balzac in Paris (in the 8th arrondissement). Gagnaire is an iconoclastic chef at the forefro ...
's first restaurant in Hong Kong, closed in 2020.
Pierre , Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Hong Kong
Mandarinoriental.com. An event space can accommodate up to 600 people.
See also
* Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group International Limited (MOHG) is a Hong Kong hotel investment and management group focusing on luxury hotels, resorts, and residences, with a total of 33 properties worldwide, 20 of which are fully or partially ow ...
* List of tallest buildings in Hong Kong
Hong Kong has over 9,000 high-rise buildings, of which over 4,000 are skyscrapers standing taller than with 517 buildings above . The tallest building in Hong Kong is the 108-storey International Commerce Centre, which stands and is the 1 ...
References
External links
Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong
{{coord, 22.282075, N, 114.159284, E, format=dms, type:city_region:HK, display=title
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group
Central, Hong Kong
Landmarks in Hong Kong
Hotels in Hong Kong
Hotels established in 1963
Hotel buildings completed in 1963
Michelin Guide starred restaurants in Hong Kong
1963 establishments in Hong Kong