Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel [1969- ] | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel [1969- ]

Current condition: 
In use
Date Place completed: 
c.1969-07-01 (Month, Day are approximate)

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The hotel started in 1970 as Hongkong Hotel and was renovated and renamed to Marco Polo Hotel around 1982.

Hi Klaus,

I was a reasonably frequent visitor to the Gun Bar in the Hong Kong Hotel in the early 80's. If I remember correctly the Hong Kong Hotel was called "The Hong Kong Hotel" (without any mention of Marco Polo) until much later than '82, whilst a hotel called "The Marco Polo Hotel" opened later further up Canton Road towards the junction with Kowloon Park Drive. I can't remember exactly when the Marco Polo opened, but I think it coincided with the completion of the new developement  of the west side of that part of Canton Road. If pushed I'd say the Marco Polo opened in the mid-80's.

The Hongkong Hotel opened in 1969. It was managed by Hongkong & Shanghai Hotels (HSH = The Peninsula), who also had some equity in it, and gave it the name of their former hotel in Central. The majority owner was and is some part of the company currently called Wharf.

In the same complex, the Marco Polo at Canton Rd and Haiphong Rd opened in 1982, and the Prince in 1984, also initially under HSH management.

In 1985 HSH ceased managing the hotels, and Wharf later re-branded them as Marco Polo Hongkong, Marco Polo Gateway, and Marco Polo Prince, respectively.

I've set the completion date from 1970 back to 1969:

[...] the Hongkong hotel opened 250 of its 800 rooms early in July.

Hong Kong Enterprise, Volume 2, Issues 5-8