Murray Building
WHARF Holdings is redeveloping the iconic Murray Building in Central, Hong Kong into a “sophisticated urban chic hotel”, which is a near giveaway that the property will be branded Niccolo by Marco Polo.
The hotel, with 336 rooms, will open by the end of next year, but Marco Polo Hotels’ president, Jennifer Cronin, declined to confirm it would be flagged a Niccolo, only saying it would be “a new flagship for the group” and an “iconic, luxury landmark hotel in Hong Kong”.
Wharf, Marco Polo Hotels’ parent, acquired the building in November 2013 for HK$4.4 billion (US$567 million) through its listed subsidiary Harbour Centre Development.
The 27-storey majestic building with towering arches and a 50-year history is quite possibly the last remaining prime site in Central for a major hotel. It commands open green views over Hong Kong Park and is well-connected to other buildings in the neighbourhood and the MTR. The group is spending HK$7 billion to convert it into a “sophisticated urban chic hotel”, its website said.
This fits the bill of its Niccolo brand, which debuted at ILTM Asia in Shanghai last month with the announcement of further expansion in China and “ambitions to grow the brand beyond China”, said Philippe Schaetz, vice president sales and marketing of Marco Polo Hotels.
Currently, there is only one Niccolo in operation, Niccolo Chengdu, which is part of the International Finance Square (IFS) mixed use retail and commercial centre owned by Wharf. Three more Niccolo hotels are being developed in China, in Chongqing (opening 1Q2017), Changsha (4Q2017) and Suzhou (2018). As with the one in Chengdu, they are all part of a mixed-use retail and commercial complex.
Niccolo was conceived as a contemporary luxury brand to complement its classic sister, Marco Polo. The hotels tend to be smaller than Marco Polo Hotels, which usually have 300 rooms to 600 rooms, and are more suited to travellers who want understated luxury and are lifestyle-driven, explained Cronin. Niccolo Chengdu, she said, had successfully attracted captains of the industry and the high society, and positioned itself as the epicentre of fashion and business in Chengdu. Rooms are 45m2 to 60m2 in size; the art pieces in the hotel are one of its lifestyle offerings; and its focus of F&B and events has also been a big factor in drawing the crowds.
Cronin said Niccolo Chengdu, which recently celebrated one year of operation, shows the hotel group’s farsightedness and mantra to “build for tomorrow”.
“It also shows you don’t have to be a big brand with dozens of hotels in order to succeed,” she said.
