Developed as one of the finest hotel properties in Bangkok, its riverside
location inspired the W-shaped design, capitalising on the uninterrupted
panoramic views from every room and adding a distinctive architectural statement
to the Bangkok skyline.
HistoryOn 11th December 1928, a legend of Asian hospitality was born – The
Peninsula Hong Kong opened her doors for the first time, and has been welcoming
guests and patrons from all over the world ever since.
Every great lady has a history, and The Peninsula is no exception. Hers is a
remarkable story of vision and evolution with the architects who in the early
1920s drew up plans for “the first hotel east of Suez”, doing so at the
behest of men whose foresight and confidence in Hong Kong set them on what was
considered an audacious path at the time.
Like many grand hotels, The Peninsula is a family business and it all started
with two brothers of Jewish-Iraqi descent. Ellis Kadoorie settled in Shanghai in
1880, while his elder brother Elly set himself up in business in Hong Kong. Over
the next two decades, the Kadoorie brothers made their fortunes, achieving
success in banking, rubber plantations, electric power utilities and real
estate, and gaining a major share-holding in Hong Kong Hotels Limited.
By the time Sir Ellis was knighted in 1917 (he was also a generous patron of
charities, another family tradition), Hong Kong Hotels Ltd's prestigious
properties included the Peak and the Repulse Bay Hotels in Hong Kong; the Astor
House, the Palace Hotel and the Majestic in Shanghai; and the Grand Hotel Wagons
Lits in Beijing.
Architects were first commissioned to draw up plans for "the finest
hotel east of the Suez" back in the early 1920s, and The Peninsula, the
jewel in the family crown, was completed in 1928. Twelve years later the baton
passed to the next generation when Lawrence (later Lord) Kadoorie, son of Sir
Elly, became chairman of the board, to be replaced in 1946 by his brother
Horace. With the loss of the Shanghai properties to the government of the
People's Republic of China in 1949, The Peninsula became the unchallenged
flagship of the company.