Camlux Hotel Celebrates Grand Opening as First Hotel in Kowloon Bay

Posted in News on 31 May, 2017

Camlux Hotel has celebrated its grand opening as Kowloon Bay’s first hotel, and one of the first factory converted hotels in Hong Kong.  Managed by Camlux Hospitality Limited, the 185-room ‘factory’ Hotel near MegaBox and Kowloon Bay International Trade and Exhibition Centre (KITEC) brings local hospitality with contemporary flair and cutting-edge technology to the new central business district in Hong Kong.

Located on Wang Kwong Road next to the former Kai Tak Airport, Camlux Hotel is immediately recognisable by its coral blue exterior façade, signalling a new era for the former appliance factory.

Catering to both business and leisure travellers amid Kowloon Bay’s revival as a fast-developing international business and commercial hub, the six-storey Hotel was converted from a factory building, New Camel House, which formerly manufactured iconic Hong Kong-made vacuum flasks – the design of which is used as a motif to pay tribute to its heritage.

“Since the government announced its plans to develop Kowloon East into Hong Kong’s second central business district (CBD), Kowloon Bay has metamorphosed and unveiled its new facets at a rapid pace,” said Mr Calvin Wong, General Manager of Camlux Hotel.

“A number of Grade A office buildings and infrastructure projects have been completed in the area in the last few years, and we are proud that Camlux Hotel is the first hotel that opened in the area,” he continued.

Designed by T.S. Chu Architects, with interior by APAC Workshop, Camlux Hotel features a thoughtful incorporation of Hong Kong’s vintage industrial style, taking guests on a voyage into the glorious past of Hong Kong’s manufacturing industry.

Key design features of the Hotel include a three-part mosaic on the upper walls of the foyer in the Hotel lobby, which are decorated with stainless steel discs used to produce vacuum flasks.  On one wall the mosaic reads: “First Hotel in K Bay” in ocean blue and gold discs, while the centre section displays a camel logo constructed with discs of the same colours, highlighting the Camel brand. The third wall features a world map, pointing to locations where Camel products were exported to over 75 years with a special red disc over Hong Kong, underlining the local heritage of the brand.

The wall at the reception in the lobby is fashioned from red firebricks from the former factory, while the reception desk is graced with 100 neatly arranged vacuum flask glass inners.  The Hotel foyer is also decorated with a distinctive line of tiles made of raw materials for flasks, such as brass, stainless steel and coloured plastic.

Brass light fixtures by the elevators are modelled after the iconic grooved vacuum flasks, while lampshades in the contemporary guestrooms are also up-cycled from the vacuum flasks. Other references to the iconic home ware products include the stainless steel clothes hangers, carpet with industrial-style design inspired by the former factory’s blanking pattern, and industrial drawings of the flasks in modern colour combinations, leaving a trail of Hong Kong’s glorious manufacturing history in every corner of the Hotel for guests to discover.

“Being a conversion project, the management team embraced the inherent limitations and constraints to create an interesting spatial experience, in terms of room configurations and viewing aspects for our guests. Unlike newly-built projects, these variations are not of superficial décor, but the result of immense physical challenges derived from converting an industrial building into a hotel property,” said Mr Calvin Wong, General Manager.

Architects of the project also opened up the patio of the original construction site with two open green courtyards to increase natural light penetration into the heart of the Hotel, providing ample daylight for guestrooms and corridors.

The retro-modern Hotel features 103 Cosy Rooms, 70 Comfy Rooms, 10 Family Rooms and  2 Studio Rooms, ranging from 22 to 32 square metres – all well-equipped with free high-speed Wi-Fi and Smart TVs with avant-garde sound system that can be conveniently connected to personal entertainment and even social media networks, making guests feel more at home than ever.

Facilities of the Hotel also include the contemporary Café 15, a multi-functional event venue, a meeting room and conference room, a 24-hour gym, currency exchange, laundry and dry cleaning, luggage storage, limousine service and complimentary in-town shuttle bus to Nathan Road and the Kowloon Airport Express Link.

Camlux Hotel makes the guests’ experience as seamless as possible using state-of-the-art technology.  When making reservations online, guests can view floor plans to pre-select the rooms they would like to stay in.  Upon arrival, guests can also pre-check-in at the lobby through smart technology to speed-up the process simply by scanning the QR code from their confirmation letter delivered to their emails before checking-in.

Visitors of Camlux Hotel can learn more about the 75-year history of Camel through an exhibition of photographs and display of products in CAMart, a dedicated art space located along the hallway ramp next to the lobby.

The first exhibition which takes place from now till 9 July 2017 mark the opening of the Hotel, featuring works by local photographer Mr Ducky Tse, Chi-Tak, who took a series of pictures of New Camel House before it was renovated into Camlux Hotel.The photographs celebrate innovation and history, as owners of the New Camel House designed and built the factory, and at the same time adds nostalgia by featuring the many famous vacuum flask designs over the decades.

Camlux Hotel is conveniently situated near Kowloon Bay International Trade and Exhibition Centre (KITEC), MegaBox, and other office buildings in the district. Abundant shopping and entertainment facilities nearby also include E-Max, Telford Plaza, Kowloon Bay Park Cycling Ground, CIC Zero Carbon Building Green Zone, and Kwun Tong Promenade and Jogging Track. The Hotel is within walking distance to Kowloon Bay MTR station.

“Camlux Hotel is one of the only hotels in Hong Kong that is converted from a factory.  Our team worked together as a unit with great passion on the conversion project, and we aim to bring our guests a one-of-a-kind experience they cannot find elsewhere in the city,” concluded Mr Calvin Wong.

To celebrate the grand opening of Camlux Hotel, guests can enjoy 50 per cent off the best available rate when they book online until 31 August, 2017, subject to availability.

Camlux Hotel is owned and managed by Camlux Hospitality Limited.