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10 September, 2024

Former hair-raising Hong Kong airport site now the height of luxury with Dorsett Kai Tak opening

Edited by Travel Weekly

Dorsett Hospitality International is set to unveil its luxury flagship hotel, the Dorsett Kai Tak on the reclaimed land of the former famous Hong Kong airport site, on 26 September 2024.

Kai Tak Airport, in the heart of Hong Kong’s Kowloon Peninsula, became famous for its hair-raising landings, planes threading between skyscrapers during its 73 years of operation. Pilots conducted acute 43-degree turns onto the final runway heading, as passengers stared into the sea before people in their apartment blocks strewn with washing lines came into view.

The last aircraft flew out of Kai Tak on July 6, 1998, when Hong Kong International Airport relocated to Chek Lap Kok island, which cost about AU$30 billion to build on mostly reclaimed land.

Rather than washing lines, the new Dorsett Kai Tak hotel offers upscale living with breathtaking views of Victoria Harbour with a BEAM Plus Gold Certification for sustainability. It also features plenty of greenery in its design, a central seawater cooling system for air conditioning and energy efficiency and electric vehicle chargers in 40 per cent of parking spaces.

The 373-room hotel caters to leisure and business travellers with 40 suites, 21 room and suite categories with balconies, and various interconnecting options. Notable suites include the Presidential harbour view pool suite with a private lap pool, and the garden penthouse harbour view two-bedroom suite.

Hotel facilities include an infinity pool, gym and Grand Ballroom, with technology such as check-in robots and smart TVs. Food and beverage options include an all-day Spanish Sichuan restaurant, Siete Ocho, with an outdoor garden and four private rooms, and London’s trendy rooftop bar, Jin Bo Law.

Dorsett Hospitality International is one of the fastest-growing hotel groups in Asia with 53 properties in 22 cities across mainland China, Hong Kong, Australia, the UK, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan and Europe. Its four core brands are Dorsett Hotels, Dao by Dorsett, d.Collection and Silka Hotels.

The hotel is part of a major reclamation of the old airport with Kai Tak Sports Park chief executive John Lee saying that preparations are underway for a grand opening ceremony in the first quarter of 2025.

Lee and a number of his top officials inspected the sports park last week, with Coldplay set to be an opening act in the new stadium.

Lee noted that the main structure of the public sports ground, indoor sports centre and main stadium are almost complete, while the interior decoration and landscaping construction are still in progress.

“During the inspection, I asked the working group to ensure that the Kai Tak Sports Park is successfully completed and opened as scheduled to consolidate Hong Kong’s strategic positioning as a city of major events,” he said in a social media post.

“At the same time, I reminded staff to pay attention to implementation details, strengthen adaptability and ensure smooth operations after the park is completed.

“Kai Tak Sports Park will conduct different drills and trial opening activities before its official opening to allow for adjustments… it will also adjust strategies as needed to improve response efficiency.”

The main stadium will have about eight floors, with a seating capacity of 50,000. There will also be 28 concession stands and five bars, with one being amongst the longest in Asia.

Lee said he hopes that the new, state-of-the-art venue will not only drive sports development, but also generate substantial economic benefit to Hong Kong by stimulating the growth of the performing arts, tourism and other sectors.

Kai Tak is also now home to a cruise passenger terminal. The terminal has year-round operations and an array of amenities including restaurants including a 960-seat Chinese banqueting restaurant, Hong Kong-style cafe, and kids’ cafe. The rooftop garden has 360-degree harbor views and receives thousands of local visitors daily on weekends and holidays.

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Dorsett Kai Tak