Hong Kong's city centre is to receive a billion dollar facelift
If you’ve been reading news updates of shops and dining spots shuttering in Hong Kong’s Central district recently, they could be making way for a massive US$1 billion upgrade of the Landmark’s retail portfolio.
Hongkong Land, which owns Hong Kong’s Landmark-branded retail spaces, announced earlier this summer that the ‘Tomorrow’s CENTRAL’ project will develop ten multi-storey ‘maison’ destinations, doubling the current retail space and creating a “unique luxury retail proposition” in Hong Kong. The first phase of construction starts this autumn.
Located as it is at the geographical heart of the project, Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong will also undergo an upgrade, which is scheduled to start in November. The hotel’s existing restaurants, including Amber and SOMM, will continue to operate and they will eventually be joined by two new dining and bar concepts along with an alfresco dining terrace.
Guest rooms and suites will be refreshed and the hotel’s Oriental Spa will also receive an upgrade. The design project will be led by Hong Kong’s Joyce Wang, who designed the hotel’s current interiors. The hotel celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2025.
Mandarin Oriental’s area vice president Greg Liddell said the hotel was pleased to see the return of Wang’s signature touch. “We’re looking forward to unveiling exceptional new experiences, as we embark on a new era for The Landmark Mandarin Oriental,” he said.
The three-year Tomorrow’s CENTRAL project will see three ‘maison’ (or ‘house’) destinations each in Landmark Atrium, Landmark Alexandra and Landmark Prince’s and one maison in Landmark Chater. The maisons will range in size from two to eight storeys.
Hongkong Land will provide more than US$400 million towards the project, its biggest single investment in the city in a decade. Around US$600 million will come from the luxury retail tenants themselves, such as Cartier, Chanel, Dior and Louis Vuitton, who will design and create their own spaces within the new complex. The project will double the retail area currently occupied by the ten luxury brands financing the project. It’s thought the final spaces will include haute couture, private dining, outdoor terraces and double-height salons targeting the brands' ‘very important customers’, or VICs.
The project includes a 24,000 ft exhibition space for international auction house Sotheby’s which opened this summer. A further 260,000 ft is earmarked for food and beverage, resulting in around 100 restaurant spaces.
Hongkong Land plans to keep The Landmark buildings open during the three-year construction phase, with work carried out mainly at night.
“We believe this substantial investment will reinforce the Central portfolio, Central and Hong Kong as an enhanced global destination for luxury, retail, lifestyle and offices for future generations,” said Hongkong Land’s chief executive officer Michael Smith.
We will keep you updated as this project progresses.
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