A Presidential Project
Issue 34 - Sept 2007

All buildings undergo continuous maintenance and improvement but few have seen renovation on the scale of the US$360 mil overhaul of the re-named InterContinental Hotel on Hong Kong’s prime harbour front property.

The InterContinental Hotel in Hong Kong is set on prime real estate, with unobstructed views across to what many believe is the world’s best skyline. When new owners, the InterContinental Group, bought the property, says Jean-Jacques Reibel, the hotel’s General Manager, it was sorely in need of extensive renovations. The comprehensive new improvements, including two celebrity chef restaurants, a remodelled presidential suite, a redesigned reception atrium and the new pool and spa area were all designed to maximise this spectacular view.

From the onset of the project, management decided that the best way to advertise their commitment to upgrading the property was to start with the public areas, seen most often by visiting guests and the general public alike. Including the pool area, the premises houses seven food and beverage outlets, each with its own character. In fact, each refurbishment was treated as a separate project, often with
a different designer yet in keeping with the “modern contemporary style” that pervades the entire building.



“We wanted to have a signature restaurant in the hotel”, says Reibel. It seems like the team have achieved a 200 percent success rate on this goal, attracting both Nobu, the epitome of contemporary Japanese cuisine and French master chef Alaine Ducasse’s restaurant, Spoon. For Reibel, every hotel should look to incorporate “anchors, places or things that should be remembered” by hotel guests and visitors. He rates the view and the restaurants as perfect anchors for which the contemporary yet comfortable Asian design provides a backdrop.

Reibel himself has been particularly demanding about the quality of workmanship and design of all the refurbished spaces. For instance, when laying the cobble stones on the main entrance driveway it became clear that the repeated scalloped design was not visible. This was due to a misunderstanding of the materials, as the mortar between the stones had bleached out the red cobbles. No amount of scrubbing or treatments could to restore the porous material so Reibel insisted that the stones be completely re-installed.

Another area in which Reibel took a personal interest was the presidential suite. This stand-out feature saw a major overhaul which even involved structural modifications. Although the design does convey a very residential feeling, the InterContinental used specialist hospitality designers who could cater to the needs for premium clients, recognising the importance of things such as luggage space requirements. Blackout curtains and the need for acoustic privacy are also
prerequisites in hotels that do not apply in all home settings.

The InterContinental Hotel attracts a 50:50 ratio of business and leisure travellers with many of the former being US based and involved in the fashion or textiles industries. These customers were consulted in the design process, and provided a vital reference for fine-tuning the design.

staff know best
On of the more important aspects of the refurbishment process, says Reibel was consultation with frontline and back of house staff. He uses the example of housekeeping staff that provide valuable insight into placement of shelves around the vanity areas. Engineering staff explained that regardless of how attractive a light fitting is, if it is time consuming or difficult to change the bulb, the guest experience will be marred when the bulb needs to be replaced. A room service waiter knows how much space is required to set up a dinner table for two. Each of these contributions goes towards ensuring a design that is both practical and pleasing.

Customer centric design means understanding and incorporating suggestions from electricians and plumbers as well as customers who are not just “executives but people who really work in these rooms,” says Reibel. And that is where the main challenges were encountered. A major renovation lasting five years without closing the hotel resulted in all manner of logistical challenges.

Lap Shieh, Project Director, InterContinental Hong Kong has a history of hotel project work and found the work in the InterContinental particularly interesting because all changes had to be accommodated within the existing building structure and without disturbing guests with smells, dust or noise. In some ways this was positive he says, as room mock-ups could be done in situ and the existing operations team could give feedback on the utility and ease of maintenance of the design.

Lap believes that while the designer’s artistic ideas must be respected it is the guests who must love the room, not the project team. This means that sometimes designers’ wishes have to be overridden. For example, one designer was upset when their choice of wooden entrance flooring was vetoed. From a maintenance perspective it would have scuffed immediately and looked shabby in short order.

Different designers were used throughout; HL Lim was responsible for the stunning, simple yet comfortingly homelike presidential suite. When he first saw the space he came up with an idea for a dramatic structural change
that he didn’t immediately disclose to Lap. The result is the largest scalable suite in Hong Kong with a rooftop pool, a master shower (that comfortably fits three) with a floor to ceiling view over the harbour, and a dining room with adjoining kitchen designed to serve 12.

The other main challenge was making sure “we had done our home work” said Reibel. “To avoid anxiety and blood pressure going up too much everything has to be well researched” but even then, with only computer renderings to go on, the company is in theory risking millions of dollars. Fortunately says Reibel the team
made the right decisions. He describes the process as something similar to giving birth, involving a lot of pain and trouble but resulting in a wonderful feeling when people’s faces light up as they walk into the newly refurbished areas.

In the highly competitive Kowloon area, when occupancy is high people might take anything, Reibel says, but the ultimate goal is to be number one choice. He says
success boils down to “product” (the design and physical infrastructure) and “management” (both of the facility and the services). At the end of the day, he says, indicators of a successful programme are the positive reactions from both media and of course the ultimate judge: the guests. RFP

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