Shatin Heights Hotel [1955-1980] | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

Shatin Heights Hotel [1955-1980]

Current condition: 
Demolished / No longer exists
Date Place completed: 
c.1955-06-25 (Day is approximate)
Date Place demolished: 
1980-11-01

Location from map book "Hong Kong Streets & Places", 1979.

Listed in the "Hotels (Members of the HK Tourist Assn)" section of the index.

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Photos that show this place

Comments

Interesting discovery here:

Alan C L Yu says

Dear Karen,
I am tracing back historical facts regarding Shatin Heights Hotel as a Friend of Heritage and docent for AMO Heritage in Hong Kong. Some docents discovered a foundation stone near Ascot Villas at Shatin Heights recently and wonder if it has any connection with Shatin Heights Hotel. I transcribed the wordings as follows :”This Foundation Stone was jointly laid by Peter Cheung, MBE Chairman of the Board Mann Yip Development Ltd. (and) Candido P. Sorienle President and Chairman of the Board Imperial Hotel Ltd. on 30th April 1959″ Unfortunately the name of the property was not marked on the stone. It was probably not Shatin Heights Hotel (currently Shatin Heights) as it was located at a distance from this site . Since Ascot Villas was completed in 1974, the stone laid in 1959 should belong to its preceding property. If it was the foundation stone for Shatin Heights Hotel and removed to this area upon its demolition, there must be some stories behind it. Although it was just a wild guess mistake, I would appreciate it very much if you could send me more details & photos of Shatin Heights Hotel. When exactly it was built? Hopefully your father did tell you all the stories. By seraching on web, I found a 1961 Cantonese movie footage of the hotel to share with you : https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2215848971775802.

Addendum: There is another comment on Gwulo by the same contributor stating it's not the foundation stone. And that the hotel opened in 1955.

should be Candido P. Soriente i think

and per https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1954/03/01/appointments-and-designati...

Candido P. Soriente as Member of the Board of Directors of the Agricultural Credit and Cooperative Financing Administration.

 

And for Mann Yip, this company was founded in 1957 and renamed in 1960.

https://webb-site.com/dbpub/orgdata.asp?p=158409

A search through the SCMP on Proquest finds:

  • 25 Jun 1955, page 12: "A new landmark has appeared on the hills overlooking Shatin Valley - the four storey Shatin Heights Hotel, which opened this week following closure of Harbour View and the Arlington Hotels in Kowloon." The article says that all three hotels were owned by Hotel Edinburgh Ltd, but that the company had recently sold the Harbour View and Arlington for re-development.
  • 31 Oct 1980, page 60: "Announcement. Commencing the first of November, 1980, Shatin Heights Hotel, Taipo Road, Shatin, New Territories will cease business for re-development.
  • 9 Nov 1980, page 8: An article titled "Many will miss popular Shatin Heights" records memories of the hotel, including the note that the first manageress was "the wife of former Assistant Commissioner of Police, George Allan Wright-Nooth".

Our family stayed at Shatin Heights Hotel when we returned from leave in England and were waiting for our flat at Kings Park (not sure why it wasn't ready...) - 1955/56.

My memories of SHH are that I stole the drumsticks from the drummer who played in the houseband (which led me to a lifelong interest in playing music) and being stung by a bee or a wasp which was obviously some sort of retribution for my crime!

Happy days... long gone but not forgotten...

Rob Large

I used to go with my Auntie Mary from Shanghai and uncle to the tea dances at the hotel. It was good fun and she adored it - always forcing me to accept anyone who asked me to dance while she fanned herself vigorously and tucked into the little sandwiches and cakes. They used to dance too.
 

We also used to go to have satay on sticks at the little place almost opposite the hotel whenever we were over that way. So delicious!! I can't remember its name. 

The Satay place opposite is the Shatin Inn. As far as I know it's still open despite the pandemic, however, I haven't been for many years.

Oh yes Phil - of course it is! I haven't been to HK since 1996 and some things escape me. I'm an old HKer who went to Peak School and then KGV. We used to get the train to Shatin and hire bikes and cycle  round the paddy fields - what a lot has changed since then. 

Owned by the Peninsula group . Every night about 7:00 a minibus would pull up to the  entrance of the Peninsula and load us guests for a trip to the Shatin Heights Hotel . We would eat live lobster, dance , drink and have a wonderful time. We  would return around 10 . A real fun experience !