The Mira Hong Kong

(Redirected from The Mira Hotel)

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

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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

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References

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  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.
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