Hilton to open first branded hotel in Hong Kong in 22 years, with new site in Mong Kok

Hilton Garden Inn to launch later this month. The old Hong Kong Hilton in Central was flattened in the early ’90s to make way for Cheung Kong Center

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Workers preparing to remove the sign of the old Hilton hotel on its last day of business in 1994. Built in 1961, the hotel was once the largest in Hong Kong, but was flattened to make way for the Cheung Kong Center, the skyscraper sandwiched between HSBC’s headquarters and the Bank of China Tower. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Published: 7:15pm, 8 Dec 2016Updated: 10:53pm, 8 Dec 2016

The name “Hilton” hotel is returning to Hong Kong for the first time in 22 years as the group prepares to open a mid-priced Hilton Garden Inn later this month in Mong Kok, one of the world’s busiest neighbourhoods.

The new hotel will be Hilton Worldwide Holdings’ second property in Hong Kong, joining the five-star Conrad Hotel in Admiralty, which first opened its doors in 1990.

“Hong Kong as a market is, as we all know, not so easy to break into with new brands,” said Martin Rinck, president of Asia-Pacific for Hilton. “We are excited to have this happening, our second property here, and I’m definitely on the lookout for more opportunities [in Hong Kong].”

Hilton opened a 26-storey, 750-room landmark hotel in Central in 1961, with an Eagle’s Nest restaurant in the penthouse known to be a celebrity favourite. However, the hotel site was bought out by Hutchison Whampoa and converted into a commercial centre in 1994. Today, it is home to the Cheung Kong Center, a skyscraper sandwiched between HSBC Holdings’ headquarters and the Bank of China Tower.

Martin Rinck says it is a ‘No 1 priority’ for Hilton to continue expanding in Hong Kong. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Mong Kok was chosen as the site for the new hotel because the location fit well with what the mid-priced hotel brand offered, Rinck said.

“When we look at opportunities, the stars need to align in terms of having the right owner and having the right location for the right brand,” he said. “We feel that Mong Kok as a destination, which is partly business, partly leisure, has a great mix of what [Hilton Garden Inn] stands for as a mid-market brand.”