September_1970 — Page 24

HK plans 8,500 new hotel rooms

A WELL-KNOWN adage in the Hong Kong business world is that when one man finds a ready market for some- thing 100 others will follow suit.

-

The new market it would seem is in hotel rooms. For while a chronic shortage of hotel space has existed for the past two years, suddenly the need has been realised

or, more accurate- ly, the investment has become more attractive, an added spur being given by Government's recent plot-ratio concessions for hotel developments.

It is estimated that hotel projects under construction or now being planned will call for a total expendi- ture of close to HK$600 million. According to the Hong Kong Hotels Association, 1972 and 1973 will see the opening of more than 4,000 hotel

rooms.

Of the large-scale projects on which construction has started, a lion's share of the design work is being done by Eric Cumine & Associates, architects for the only large hotel to be com- pleted in 1969 (the Hong Kong Hotel, Far East Builder November 1969). Among its hotel briefs this firm counts a 1,000-room complex on the water- front at Causeway Bay, the 900-room Lee Gardens Hotel also at Causeway Bay and the long-delayed 550-room Bay and the long-delayed 550-room Fu Centre in Central District.

The Causeway Bay waterfront pro- ject is being undertaken by a con- sortium of BOAC Associated Com- sortium of BOAC Associated Com- panies, City Hotels Ltd., The Hong- panies, City Hotels Ltd., The Hong- kong Land & Investment Agency Co. Ltd., Jardine Matheson & Co. Ltd. and Forte Holdings Ltd. of UK who will manage the hotel. It will be a

33-storey building, taking up 45,000 sq. ft. of Jardine's East Point Godown site. A further 1,000 rooms can be added on an adjacent site, should the developers decide to extend.

The Lee Gardens scheme, now in progress, entails the conversion of offices in a long six-storey block run- ning the length of Hysan Avenue and

the addition above of a further 15 floors. The promoters are Lee Hysan Estates.

Foundations on the site of the Fu Centre, Chater Road, first planned as an office tower, are now being streng- thened to cater for a 35-storey hotel with 550 rooms and a multi-purpose convention hall to seat 600. Though planning approval has been given for the development, a further revision - the addition of a revolving restaurant at roof-top level is now being con- sidered.

Nathan Road

On the Kowloon peninsula, two giant hotels are under way in Nathan Road, Tsimshatsui. At the junction of Mody Road a

a 20-storey structure above three basements is planned. De- velopers are the Harilela family and the hotel will be operated by Holiday Inns of America Inc. Wong, Ng Ouyang & Associates are the architects.

There will be 662 guest rooms oc- cupying the top 17 floors. The Nathan

··

·FU • CENTRE.

#1

HONGKONG HILTON

–

Fu Centre, Central District - revolving restaurant may be added

24

WI

•

10 dump R 10 YEAR

GOT 4.011 MILI

INI OQ== 1) [

1

***

·

·

A "

"

|

$10

n

12.6.

44

JE 1

1 att

MILI

Brew

1.8.F

apt a vON

HETI NESA seun wag 448462 1 *

LR ■ 107 Bhi

MALE BILO LITPEUTRON

14814 10 144

o 1 Ju......

1

I

t

1

よ

·

"

ww

LILLE

·

*Mandarta

Far East BUILDER, September 1970