The Mira Hong Kong

(Redirected from The Mira)

22°18′1″N 114°10′20″E / 22.30028°N 114.17222°E / 22.30028; 114.17222

The Mira Hong Kong
The Mira Hong Kong
Map
General information
Location118 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong[1]
Opening1948; 76 years ago (1948)
ManagementMiramar Hotel and Investment
Design and construction
Architect(s)Edmond Wong

The Mira Hong Kong is a hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. It has 492 rooms and suites, six restaurants and bars, and a spa centre. It was renovated in 2009 and became smoke-free in 2011.

The hotel is owned by Miramar Hotel and Investment. It was designed by architect Edmond Wong. Interiors were designed by "lifestyle guru" Colin Cowie.[2][3][4]

History

edit

From after 1911 until 1925, the site was occupied by the Club de Recreio (西洋波會). The Club then moved to its present location at King's Park along Gascoigne Road.[5]

The hotel was formerly named Hotel Miramar. It opened in 1948, with 32 rooms, as Hong Kong's first post-war hotel. A major expansion in 1953 added 160 new rooms.[6] It was purchased in 1957 from a Spanish mission by the founders of Miramar Hotel and Investment Company, Limited.[7] A new wing was built in two phases, increasing the number of rooms to 380 by 1973.[6]

The grand opening of the rebranded and redesigned hotel took place on 17 September 2009.[8]

In 2013, after fleeing from Hawaii, Edward Snowden stayed in The Mira for a total of 20 days[9] wherein he leaked thousands of classified National Security Agency (NSA) documents regarding global surveillance to journalists.[10][11] His presence at the hotel was a global spectacle with a media frenzy surrounding it. Laura Poitras created a documentary regarding these revelations named Citizenfour (which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film in 2015[12]). It was completely shot inside the hotel.

The short film Verax, regarding the 2013 global surveillance disclosures by Edward Snowden features the hotel.[13] The film's budget included a one night stay at The Mira, the most expensive item on the budget.[14]

On 21 January 2019, a window fell from the hotel and killed a passerby walking on Nathan Road.[15]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ [1] Archived January 31, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "Hotel Wedding Venue & Meeting Facilities". themirahotel.com. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011.
  3. ^ "The Mira Hotel photos :: Hotel Design". hoteldesign.nu. 18 December 2009. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  4. ^ "The Mira Hotel, Hong Kong | We Heart; Lifestyle & Design Magazine". Weheart.co.uk. 27 October 2010. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  5. ^ "Historic Building Appraisal : Cheung Chan theatre" (PDF). Lcsd.gov.hk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 September 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  6. ^ a b "Miramar still a firm favourite". South China Morning Post. 25 May 1986.
  7. ^ "Miramar Milestones". miramar-group.com. Archived from the original on 17 December 2010.
  8. ^ "Grand Opening of The Mira Hong Kong". Archived from the original on 10 April 2011. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
  9. ^ Kao, Ernest (12 June 2013). "Whistle-blower Edward Snowden splurges on high-priced hideout". South China Morning Post.
  10. ^ Taylor, Adam (10 June 2013). "Edward Snowden Reportedly 'Checked Out' Of Hong Kong Hotel Mira". Business Insider.
  11. ^ Greenwald, Glenn; MacAskill, Ewen; Poitras, Laura (11 June 2013). "Edward Snowden: the whistleblower behind the NSA surveillance revelations". The Guardian.
  12. ^ "The 87th Academy Awards, 2015". oscars.org. Archived from the original on 5 May 2023.
  13. ^ "Hong Kong directors make first Snowden film | South China Morning Post". Scmp.com. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  14. ^ Patrick Frater (1 July 2013). "Edward Snowden Short Film Team Delivers Digital Snap Shot". Variety. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  15. ^ Cheng, Kris (21 January 2019). "Police arrest hotel cleaner after tourist killed by falling window in Tsim Sha Tsui". Hong Kong Free Press.
edit