The Intercontinental Hong Kong hotel looks set to undergo a massive upgrade in early 2019, when the flagship Asia-Pacific property for Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) closes for a period of about 12-16 months and undergoes a full renovation.
According to IHG, the refurbishment is expected to encompass the entire property top to bottom, including all 503 rooms and suites as well as all public areas, restaurants, event spaces and the hotel’s exterior. Rooms will be designed by Tokyo-based Curiosity Inc, which has worked with high-end brands including Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Louis Vuitton and Berluti in the past.
But despite the extensive nature of the renovation works, not all of the hotel’s facilities will close during the renovation. This notably includes the property’s two-Michelin-star Cantonese restaurant, Yan Toh Heen, which will remain open for dinner throughout the process.
Kenneth Gaw, president and managing principal of Gaw Capital Partners, which aided in the acquisition of the property to a consortium of investors back in 2015, noted that the renovation is aimed at repositioning the flagship hotel as a world-leading property.
“Intercontinental Hong Kong has always had a special place in the hearts of the local community here as the diamond in the ‘Pearl of the Orient’,” he said. “We are thrilled and committed to return the property back to its glory days as one of the best hotels in the world. Following this exciting transformation, Intercontinental Hong Kong will once again become a contemporary, iconic hotel for global travellers and will thrive as a world-class destination.”
The renovation will come at a time when Hong Kong is seeing a slew of new, major properties opening their doors along the city’s harbourfront. Earlier this year, the 546-room Kerry Hotel Hong Kong opened its doors, while in 2018 the 398-room Rosewood Hong Kong is expected to begin operations.
That said it’s not all been good news for Hong Kong’s hotels, with the future of a few properties in doubt. In June, Hotel LKF by Rhombus announced it was closing its doors after 11 years in the city. Meanwhile on the waterfront on the opposite side of the harbour from the Intercontinental Hong Kong, Mandarin Oriental’s The Excelsior Hong Kong in Causeway Bay district is undergoing a review, with the possibility of its sale and even demolition both on the cards.
