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End of an era as Ritz-Carlton closes its doors
HONG KONG – A sad day for those who have called the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong home over the years.
The hotel closes its doors today to make way for an office development.
The hotel’s owner, Lai Sun Development Company Limited, plans to redevelop the five-star hotel into a prime office tower.
Lai Sun Development bought the Ritz-Carlton from Japan’s Ginzu Golf Service for approximately US$154 million in May 2003 when the latter went into distress.
The 216-room hotel, located in Central, will be replaced by a 300-room Ritz-Carlton hotel at West Kowloon’s International Commerce Centre (ICC) in 2010, occupying the top 16 storeys of the ICC tower.
Ritz-Carlton also plans to open a hotel in Macau Studio City in 2009.
TravelMole tried contacting Ritz-Carlton vice president and area general manager Mark Lettenbichler to ask how he would spend his last day at the hotel, but there was no immediate response.
He was probably too busy clearing out his office.
Ian Jarrett
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