Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Hong Kong Ritz-Carlton Hotel




World's Highest Hotel Opens in Hong Kong

March 30, 2011, 1:21 pm, Joyce Woo AAP


The world's highest hotel has opened its doors in Hong Kong, housed in the city's tallest skyscraper and offering unrivalled panoramic views of the world-famous Victoria Harbour. Towering some 490 metres above the bustling, chaotic streets of the southern Chinese city, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel is making a grand comeback after temporarily closing in 2008. Visitors peered out of the floor-to-ceiling windows of the 118th floor of the International Commerce Centre, which houses the hotel, for a 360-degree view of the glitzy financial hub and the South China Sea. "We're opening an iconic hotel which took us about 10 years to build," president and chief operations officer Herve Humler told reporters on Tuesday.

The Ritz-Carlton will likely lose the title of world's highest hotel in 2014, according to media reports, when the J-Hotel opens near the top of the more than 600 metres high Shanghai Tower. "People compete all around the world about everything - I'm sure someone somewhere is building an even taller building as we speak," Humler said. "We emphasis service." The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong also will be one of the most expensive places to stay in a city already packed with luxury hotels, with the rack rate starting at $HK6000 ($A752) a night for a deluxe room. A presidential suite is going for $HK100,000 ($A12,530). Inside, the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong exudes a chic, modern vibe in the restaurants and lobby areas, with a lot of sparkling decor and chandeliers, the main colour themes being black, brown and beige. Visitors can expect to find facilities that include the highest bar in the world, and a top-floor pool that will feature a 19m ceiling-mounted LCD screen which swimmers can watch while enjoying the warmth of the heated water. Humler said mainland Chinese customers account for about 35 per cent of the hotel group's market, up from just three to four per cent 14 years ago. "This number is expected to rise," Humler said. "Mainland China is a key market for us. Asia as a region has bounced back significantly in the past year, with business going up about 20 per cent in 2010." "In China, everything that is created has to have the `wow' factor to attract the top echelons of society. They want quality service and efficiency." Humler said occupancy rates at Ritz-Carlton Tokyo had plunged from 80 to 15 per cent since the Japan nuclear crisis began but he expected it to have little impact on the Hong Kong hotel.

Comment:

Mainland Chinese shareholders in HK are increasing by the days, with many making millions of dollars in the business world... But one have to also remind oneself that the increasing number of poor Chineses are also on the rise, with many living in slumps and crams housing areas, and barely paid enough salaries (or hardly earn enough) on a daily basis, to make end meets... The notorious 'inequality' (poverty) gap.

Its also irony, but, once that 'poor man' becomes rich, he sometimes forget about his past, and his poor mates/friends and other under-privilege groups, and assumes nothing ever happens to his once-upon-a-time poor life. Then he starts to exploits his employees and underpaid them... the circle repeats itself.

Thats why, there should be laws and regulations in place, to protect the workers, and help improve work conditions, for everyone, the employer-employees, to help create a conducive work environment.

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