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The Excelsior

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Coordinates: 22°16′56.3″N 114°11′2.8″E / 22.282306°N 114.184111°E / 22.282306; 114.184111
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Excelsior Hotel
怡東酒店
Excelsior Hotel
Map
General information
StatusDemolished
TypeHotel
Location281 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Coordinates22°16′56.3″N 114°11′2.8″E / 22.282306°N 114.184111°E / 22.282306; 114.184111
Completed1973
Opening20 February 1973[1]
ClosedMarch 31, 2019; 5 years ago (March 31, 2019)
Demolished2020
OwnerMandarin Oriental Hotel Group
Height
Roof126.34 m (414.5 ft)
Technical details
Floor count37
Other information
Number of rooms854
Number of suites21
Number of restaurants5
References
[2][3]
Lobby of The Excelsior in 2016
ToTT's and Roof Terrace in 2019

The Excelsior (Chinese: 怡東酒店) was a four-star hotel located at 281 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. It was owned and operated by Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, a member of the Jardine Matheson Group, and served as the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group's headquarters. The Noon-day Gun is located opposite the hotel.[1][4] It closed on 31 March 2019[5][6] for demolition and replacement by an office tower.[7]

History

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The location of the hotel is "Lot No.1", which was the first plot of land sold at auction after Hong Kong became a British Colony in 1841. The hotel was developed on the original godown of Jardine Matheson and was officially opened on 20 February 1973.[1] The hotel was the first in Hong Kong to have more than 1,000 rooms.[8]

In 2015, the company obtained approval to redevelop the property into a commercial building,[9] and it subsequently announced in June 2017 that it would test the market's interest as to a possible sale.[10] No single bidder had met Mandarin's expectations, however, and the sale was withdrawn.[11] The hotel closed on 31 March 2019, for demolition.[7]

Restaurants

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The Excelsior had several cafés and restaurants:

  • Dickens Bar (雙城吧), a sports bar and restaurant in the basement,[12] "wood-panelled and bristling with memorabilia",[13] that has been described as a traditional British gastropub.[14]
  • EXpresso, a café in the lobby.[12]
  • Café on the 1st (一樓咖啡室), a breakfast, lunch and dinner International buffet restaurant on the 1st floor.
  • Cammino, an Italian restaurant on the 1st floor.
  • Yee Tung Heen (怡東軒), a Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant on the 2nd floor.[12]
  • The Excelsior Grill on the 3rd floor.
  • ToTT's and Roof Terrace, a bar and restaurant on the 34th floor.[12] Originally called "Talk of the Town", it opened in 1979 as a disco and bar. It was renamed "ToTT's Asian Grill" in 1995. The outdoor terrace opened in 2009.[15]

Cooling system

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Like several other buildings along the Victoria Harbour,[16] the Excelsior Hotel used a seawater air conditioning system.[17] The seawater source for the system originated from the Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter.[16]

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Parts of the 1978 comedy film Revenge of the Pink Panther were set in The Excelsior.[18][19] The film was also partly edited in the hotel.[12]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c The Excelsior Hong Kong: Hotel overview
  2. ^ "Excelsior Hotel". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ "Excelsior Hotel". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
  4. ^ "The Excelsior - Reviews and Ratings of Hotels in Hong Kong - New York Times Travel". The New York Times. 20 May 2011. Archived from the original on 20 May 2011. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  5. ^ Ng, Naomi; Moon, Louise (31 March 2019). "Tears and happy memories abound as iconic Excelsior hotel in Hong Kong closes its doors for the final time after 46 years of service". South China Morning Post.
  6. ^ "Fond Farewell | Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group". 21 March 2019. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  7. ^ a b Sito, Peggy (9 October 2018). "Hong Kong's iconic Excelsior hotel to shut in March 2019 for redevelopment into offices". South China Morning Post.
  8. ^ "Jardine Engineering Corporation · JEC". JEC. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  9. ^ Li, Sandy (18 April 2015). "Surprise plan approved to tear down Excelsior hotel after 42 years as Hong Kong landmark". South China Morning Post.
  10. ^ Nguy, Dominique (6 June 2017). "Legendary hotel faces end of road". The Standard.
  11. ^ Sito, Peggy (27 September 2017). "Mandarin Oriental shares plunge after lacklustre bids push its sale of Excelsior Hotel off the market". South China Morning Post.
  12. ^ a b c d e Chan, Bernice (10 March 2019). "Memories of The Excelsior, Hong Kong hotel where guests invited staff for meals and holidays". South China Morning Post.
  13. ^ Michael Ingham (2007). Hong Kong: A Cultural History. Oxford University Press. p. 77. ISBN 978-0-19-972447-5.
  14. ^ "Dickens Bar". Hong Kong Tatler. 21 July 2015.
  15. ^ Leung Hayes, Janice (17 December 2014). "Rooftop restaurant ToTT's at the Excelsior still grilling after 35 years". South China Morning Post.
  16. ^ a b Wong, Yiu-ming (1998). Biofouling treatment of seawater cooling systems in Hong Kong (PDF) (MSc in Environmental Management thesis). University of Hong Kong. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 December 2016.
  17. ^ "Seawater Air Conditioning (SWAC) Plants Around The World". 20 December 2016. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  18. ^ Lee, Amanda; Li, Sandy (6 June 2017). "Mandarin Oriental mulls sale of iconic Excelsior hotel in Hong Kong". South China Morning Post.
  19. ^ Moon, Louise (30 March 2019). "The Excelsior goes out with a party and a bang as iconic hotel bows to commercial pressure and makes way for an office tower". South China Morning Post.
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