As Hong Kong's oldest surviving hotel, it has, since its inception in 1928, witnessed change beyond recounting.

Prior to its opening it billeted several thousand British troops to face a possible threat on the border with China. During the "roaring 20s" society would gather to sip pink gins and stengahs in its lobby, but in teh 1940s their talk increasingly turned to turmoil on the mainland. When Japanese troops crossed the border in 1941 they established their headquarters in the hotel.

After the war ended, the hotel quickly re-established itself as a rendezvous for tycoons and well-off travellers.