Representatives of local travel agencies yesterday voiced strong opposition to the redevelopment of Beijing Imperial Palace Hotel in Taipa as the mothballed property’s owners – allegedly – owe them 100 million patacas due to the pre-selling of hotel rooms, urging the government to stop the project for the time being.
An ad-hoc group, loosely translated as Beijing Imperial Palace Hotel Victims’ Alliance, consisting of 20 local travel agencies, convened a press conference at a Macau Fisherman’s Wharf restaurant about the case.
The convener of the group, Wong Fai, noted that several lawsuits between the hotel and its various creditors – including the 20 local travel agencies, are still ongoing, so that for the time being the government should not consult the public on the redevelopment project.
According to Wong, the hotel owes the 20 travel agencies 100 million patacas for the pre-selling of the guestrooms.
The hotel pre-sold the rooms to the agencies before its abrupt closure in 2016.
Beijing Imperial Palace Hotel opened as the five-star New Century Hotel in 1992 with some 550 rooms. The hotel’s casino was renamed Greek Mythology in 2004, and the hotel was renamed Beijing Imperial Palace Hotel in 2014. The casino was owned by SJM.
The government ordered its six-month “temporary” closure in July 2016 over a string of safety issues and regulatory breaches. In January 2017, the hotel returned its operating licence to the government as it could not finish the necessary work required to meet the official fire safety regulations before the officially set deadline – six months after the government announced the hotel’s temporary closure. The property, which was reportedly affected by constant quarrelling among its various co-owners, has been mothballed ever since.
The new owners of Beijing Imperial Palace Hotel in Taipa plan to redevelop the hotel, according to the proposed legal development conditions for the plot on which the hotel is situated, which were published by the Lands, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT) early this month.
Accompanied by travel agencies’ representatives, Wong Fai (front, third from right), the convenor of ad-hoc group Beijing Imperial Palace Hotel Victims Alliance, and Macau Travel Industry Council President Wu Keng Kuong (front, centre), address yesterday’s press conference opposing the redevelopment project of Beijing Imperial Palace Hotel. Courtesy: TDM
