22 Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
The Peninsula Hong Kong is a luxury hotel in colonial style, located in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is the flagship hotel of the Peninsula Hotels group, part of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels group. The hotel opened in 1928 and was the first under the Peninsula brand. Expanded in 1994, the hotel combines colonial and modern elements and is notable for its large fleet of Rolls-Royces painted in the characteristic "Peninsula green."
Founded by members of the Kadoorie family, the Peninsula hotel was built with the idea that it would be "the best hotel east of Suez." Originally planned to open in 1924, the hotel opened on December 11, 1928, succeeding the Hongkong Hotel. The Peninsula was located in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong, at the intersection of Nathan Road and Salisbury Road, right opposite the piers where ocean liner passengers disembarked, and near the terminus of the Kowloon-Canton Railway.
After the hotel opened, Sunday concerts, evening dinners on the terrace, and twice-weekly dinners in the Pink Salon were held at the Peninsula. Dinner dances were held every evening, with regular dances after afternoon tea. The Peninsula then became a popular meeting place for the entire community. It also became a celebrity meeting spot. Charlie Chaplin and Paulette Goddard, who were Hollywood stars of the classic new era of the 1930s, were among the hotel's guests.
Major General Maltby, as commander, and Sir Mark Young, as governor and commander-in-chief, faced the difficult task of officially surrendering the British colony of Hong Kong to the Japanese on December 25, 1941. The battle was short but fierce and lasted eighteen days. In the photo below of the surrender ceremony at The Peninsula hotel, held by candlelight, Major General Maltby is seated on the right. On the left is Lieutenant Colonel "Mankie" Stewart, commander of the 1st Middlesex Regiment of the British Air Force, and behind him with extravagant mustaches sits the air wing commander Hubert Thomas "Alf" Bennett. Bennett was a Japanese linguist working with Major Boxer in the intelligence unit known as the Far East Combined Bureau. It was Alf Bennett and Mankie Stewart who first came out with the flag of truce to conduct the surrender, but the Japanese insisted that Major General Maltby and Sir Mark Young be present in person. Sir Mark is not in the photo on the left and was possibly saying something, as the others look in his direction. Sir Mark asked if the photographer could be removed, and the Japanese agreed, but several photos had already been taken, including this one.
The governor was imprisoned for two months in one of the hotel suites before being transferred to a prison in Shanghai. The resort was then renamed the "Toa Hotel," and rooms were reserved for Japanese officers and high-ranking officials.
In his book "God is My Co-Pilot," U.S. Air Force Colonel Robert Lee Scott Jr., commander of the 23rd Fighter Group of the Chinese Air Force, detailed his air raid on a Japanese ship anchored in Hong Kong harbor on October 25, 1942, and the solo attack he personally made in his Curtiss P-40K Warhawk (nicknamed Old Exterminator) over the famous Peninsula hotel:
"So, I looped over Victoria Harbor and headed for the Peninsula hotel. My tracers hit the shiny mirrored glass of the penthouses at its top, and I saw broken windows cascade down like snow onto the streets many floors below. I laughed because I knew high-ranking Japanese officers were behind those windows, enjoying this modern hotel. As I got closer, I saw figures in uniform descending fire escapes, and I fired at them... I turned to run over the fire escapes crowded with Japanese soldiers once more, but my next round ended very suddenly. I ran out of ammunition."
It was returned to its original name after Japan's defeat and the British regained control of the colony. Today, the hotel is part of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels group, led by Sir Michael Kadoorie, and is the flagship hotel of the Peninsula Hotels group.
In 1994, the hotel was expanded with a 30-story tower built in the same architectural style as the existing building. The facade of the existing hotel building was preserved, including the forecourt, lobby, and front facade. The hotel continued to operate during construction.
The new Peninsula Tower is topped with a helipad. It is used to transport VIP guests to Hong Kong International Airport, located seven minutes by helicopter from the hotel. Australian helicopter pilot Dick Smith, holder of a world record, accompanied by Peter K.N. Lok, Director General of the Civil Aviation Department, made the first certified helicopter flight to the helipad in 1994.
As a result of the reconstruction, the total number of rooms increased to 300 with the addition of 132 rooms and suites. Other new features included 10 floors of office space, shops, and hotel facilities.
To celebrate the hotel's 85th anniversary in April 2013, it launched a renovation program costing 450 million Hong Kong dollars. The first phase of the Peninsula Tower was completed in September 2012. New features include digital enhancements ranging from touchscreen tablets, a DVD library with 3D movies, to high-definition televisions. The room decor is done in understated Eastern chic, with solid cream upholstery, vintage-style luggage drawer handles, and ink painting-style Chinese ornaments. However, the renovation did not affect the iconic lobby, restaurants, and bars, which remained unchanged.
The Peninsula hotel is decorated in Italian style. The lobby design is a combination of Edwardian style and Second Empire style and includes decorative stained glass, woodwork, as well as carpets and draperies dating back to 1928.
Traditional English-style afternoon tea is served in the lobby, reminiscent of Hong Kong's colonial era.
The hotel has one of the oldest fashion boutiques in Hong Kong.
Since December 2006, the hotel fleet consists of 14 Rolls-Royce Phantom long-wheelbase cars painted in the hotel's signature green color. This was the largest order ever placed by Rolls-Royce in the company's history. It replaced the Rolls-Royce Silver Spurs fleet.
In the 1974 James Bond film "The Man with the Golden Gun," starring Roger Moore, the hotel's Rolls-Royce Silver Shadows fleet is mentioned.
The hotel often appeared in the TV series "Dynasty" and was the venue for several negotiations on leasing oil fields in the South China Sea. It was also featured in the 1988 NBC miniseries "Noble House." That same year, Michael Palin visited the hotel for the BBC program "Michael Palin: Around the World in 80 Days."
In 2007, the Peninsula was used to film a scene in the superhero movie "The Dark Knight," featuring actors Morgan Freeman and Chin Han, who played Lucius Fox and Lau, respectively.
In 2015, the Peninsula was shown in the eleventh episode of the 27th season of "The Amazing Race," serving as the location of the first route marker for the Hong Kong/Macau leg.
Many stories related to the hotel have become legends. Charles Chaplin arrived at the hotel only with his wife, much to the surprise of manager Felix Max Bigger, who expected a large entourage. A two-bedroom suite was booked. When asked about this, the great comedian performed one of his famous pirouettes, stopped in front of Bigger, and whispered, "I snore, and my wife can't stand it!"
Once Felix Bigger accompanied American film star Danny Kaye in the elevator to his floor. A lady who was with them in the elevator looked strangely at the actor: "You look like Danny Kaye!" she remarked. "Oh," Kaye replied, "many people tell me that!"
Circa 1970: It was already past midnight when a couple of regular customers entered Gaddi's, the best restaurant at The Pen (with a strict dress code). Maitre d' Chan Pak noticed them and, to his horror, had to inform them that they were inappropriately dressed, as neither was wearing a jacket. "Sorry, gentlemen," he said, "but you cannot enter this restaurant in just a shirt and tie." As soon as he finished speaking, the two men immediately removed their ties and shirts and stood half-naked, to the applause of the entire restaurant. Then they dressed and hurriedly left.
The hotel's guestbook includes the names of Emperor Haile Selassie, the King and Queen of Nepal, the Maharaja of Jaipur, Prince and Princess Peter of Greece, Princess Margaret of the United Kingdom, Begum Aga Khan, Princess Atsuko Akeda of Japan, Princess Soraya Esfandiary of Monaco, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Arthur Rubinstein, Tennessee Williams, Arthur C. Clarke, Roman Polanski, Francis Ford Coppola, Jim Henson, Pat Boone, Paul Anka, Elton John, Charlie Chaplin, Julie Andrews, Frank Sinatra, Shirley MacLaine, Cary Grant, Elizabeth Taylor, Peter O'Toole, John Wayne, Warren Beatty, Candice Bergen, Yul Brynner, Marlon Brando, Clark Gable, Sir Roger Moore, Peter Sellers, Sylvester Stallone, Zino Davidoff, Aldo Gucci, Muhammad Ali, and many others.
Sources:
https://www.historichotelsthenandnow.com/peninsulahongkong.html
