Furama Hotel [1973-2001]

Submitted by David on Fri, 10/09/2009 - 12:59
Current condition
Demolished / No longer exists
Date completed
Date closed / demolished

1, Connaught Road.

Can anyone confirm the opening date for the Furama? The Emporis website says 1977. But the left edge of this photo dated 1972 shows the building almost finished, so it seems unlikely it would have sat empty for 4-5 years. [Update: opening date set to 1973, see comments below].

Wikipedia says it "closed in November, and was demolished in December 2001."

Previous place(s) at this location
Vacant lot, 1 & 2 Connaught Road [1960-c.1971]

Tags

Photos that show this Place

(6) The aircraft approaches to land at the car park after the lift, and pick up the other crew members before returning to Kai Tak.
1972
1972
Furama Hotel under construction,1972
1972
See more photos of this place

Comments

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Submitted by
Alastair (not verified)
on
Mon, 10/12/2009 - 05:12

The hotel was completed and opened in 1973.  I found it at the Chinese wikipedia page and tngan also pointed this out. 

I verified the wikipedia source and it appears accurate because I found an interview with a member of the Fu family that built and operated the Furama.  The 1973 opening date is mentioned near the end of the article.

http://news.eastday.com/epublish/big5/paper148/20030831/class014800011/…

A SCMP clipping dated 30-Nov-2001 reports on the closure of the Furama Hotel "tomorrow", i.e. 1-Dec-2001. It also gives an opening date of 3-Dec-1973.

I was surprised to read that it "underwent several name...changes" during its 28 years in business. Having arrived in HK in late 1981, I can only remember it being known as the Furama, so either my memory is failing or its other names were used between '73 and '81.

And the name of the revolving restaurant on the 30/F? "La Ronda". Has there ever been another with such a spectacular view? The article states that La Ronda was the second revolving restaurant in Hong Kong, "built after the first in the Yu To Sang building in Mongkok, which has long been reduced to rubble".    

I found another SCMP clipping dated 19 August 1973 which said that Furama Hotel was partially opened the night before, so 18 August 1973?

SCMP clipping on Furama Hotel - 19 Aug 1973
SCMP clipping on Furama Hotel - 19 Aug 1973, by SCMP

One of the original architects of the Furama is Patrick Cheung.  Patrick and Amy Cheung we're family friends. They would visit our flat on Old Peak Road and have a clear view of the new Furama. 
 

The original room rate was $199. Why?  Say it in Cantonese and it sounds like Yut Gao Gao, money will be pouring in in chunks. 

Interesting story on Furama Hotel. 

I like the original room rate of $199. It stands for "Yut Gao Gao" in Cantonese, money will be pouring in in chunks!

My family stayed at the Furama for around a week or two in Summer of 1978, after moving out of our Cavendish Heights flat & furnishings being shipped to the USA & until the time we departed HK on a China Air Lines 747 out of Kai Tak (bound for either a connecting flight in Japan, or maybe direct to Hawaii?).

 

 I remember a wonderful swimming pool on the rooftop, with a bar/lounge alongside it and I think even a few hotel rooms on a partial floor above it.  The reason I remember this is because a friend & I were playing at the pool, and a drunk American came up to us out of an adjacent bar/lounge & accused us of breaking into his nearby room!  He babbled about being a US diplomat, and having a pistol in the room!  Thankfully, a manager-type intervened quickly, and must have realized he was drunk, though unfortunately she tried to ameliorate the situation by offering to buy him a drink back at the bar/lounge, and we went back to being stupid kids in the pool (but not burglars...).   I'm sure the Mandarin Hotel was the place to stay if you wanted royal treatment, had a lot of $$$ and a sense of history, but for everyone else, I think in the 1970s-era, The Furama was the main choice for people that had some $$ and wanted to stay at a very nice place.