Tai O Heritage Hotel, revitalised from the Old Tai O Police Station built in 1902, continues to proactively encourage the public in cultural heritage appreciation and conservation through its ongoing community involvement programmes themed ‘I love Tai O’. The programme resulted in a record of receiving over 200,000 local and overseas visitors. The hotel has become a popular spot and an ideal getaway on the green outlying island, Lantau.

Received over 200,000 Visitors in its First Year of Inception

The award-winning hotel opened its door in end February 2012 and has received over 200,000 visitors for day visits, organised tours, dining and room-stay in mid-March 2013. For its first year, the hotel has attracted visitors locally and internationally. The visitor mix consists of primarily Hong Kong residents, visitors from China, North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, Singapore, Korea. It is positively perceived as a welcoming, easily accessible, visitor-friendly destination. Open daily from 11am to 6pm, public are welcome to visit the hotel’s ample, relaxing outdoor space, the Heritage Interpretation Centre, the glass-roofed restaurant, Tai O Lookout, and the guest rooms depending on on-day availability. The young and dynamic force of ambassadors provides all visitors with comprehensive information about this heritage conservation project. The friendly ambassadors, being folk historians themselves who are knowledgeable about the history of the fishing village, walk visitors through the hotel during the scheduled complimentary tour sessions at 3pm and 4pm daily.

This collaborative revitalisation project between Development Bureau of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the non-profit social enterprise, Hong Kong Heritage Conservation Foundation Limited (HCF), which manages Tai O Heritage Hotel, is one of the six projects under Batch 1 of Development Bureau’s ‘Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme’. With the full support and trust from the government, especially The Commissioner for Heritage's Office of the Development Bureau of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, high-ranking visitors, including government officials and academics from around the world have visited Tai O Heritage Hotel for leisure or cultural/academic exchanges, including representatives from museums in Hong Kong, The Palace Museum in Beijing and other Chinese capital cities and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The hotel also received students from Hong Kong and overseas universities, high schools, primary schools as well as other NGOs visits.

Acting as a Platform to Encourage Artistic Creation and Innovation

Tai O Heritage Hotel is dedicated to providing Hong Kong artists with a commission-free, open platform for exhibitions. Its glass-roofed restaurant, Tai O Lookout serves as a platform to showcase the ingenious work

by Hong Kong and Tai O artists. The hotel’s series of community involvement programmes that evolve around the theme of ‘I love Tai O’ has not only attracted visitors, especially arts lovers to the historic site, but has also inspired artists to unleash their talents. Through the 20-day open house that received 12,800 visitors, to the first-ever roving photo exhibition ‘I love Tai O: Colours of Tai O: A Madame Hung Wai-lan’s Memorabilia Collection’ that held successfully with the support from more than 23 Tai O fishing village units, and ‘Light it up – Mini Lantern Parade’ that embraced the young talent’s creativity, Tai O Heritage Hotel is building its foundation in promoting the distinctive heritage, cultural and artistic significance of the 111-year-old colonial architecture and the charming fishing village.

To further support arts development and creation, Tai O Heritage Hotel will be one of the sponsors, along with Hong Kong Tourism Board, Cathay Pacific Airways, Ocean Park and several big corporations, behind the international children painting competition, “Brushstrokes over Hong Kong”, from 25 August to 1 September 2013. It has been selected as one of the nine scenic spots of Hong Kong to be drawn or painted by 80 young talents from Hong Kong and other parts of the world.

Receiving Local and International Recognition

Running as a non-profit social enterprise, Hong Kong Heritage Conservation Foundation has provided employment opportunities to encourage Tai O natives and nearby residents to work in their hometown. Over half of the working staff of Tai O Heritage Hotel are residents of Lantau Island or Tai O fishing village. With HCF’s continuous dedication to engage the community and promote heritage conservation, tourism and green living, it has received ten accolades recognising its devotion in heritage conservation, service excellence and corporate social responsibility from mid to end 2012.