Paul-Andre Guidat is angry. And upset. But also, he says, resigned to the inexplicable workings of international diplomacy.
The classically stylish, wonderfully accented Frenchman is manager of the historic Hotel Bela Vista in Macau, which is to become one of the most visible - and pointless - casualties of Macau's return to Chinese rule in December next year.
The Sino-Portuguese Joint Liaison Group last year agreed the 130-year-old hotel will become the Portuguese consular office and residence, a deal that will deprive Asia of one of its most famous and best-loved hotels. Portugal will be given free leases on the buildings for 50 years.
'There are so many great places that could have become the consul's residence, but they decided to get their hands on the Bela Vista. The Governor's residence is going to be empty after the handover. The Chinese don't want it. And it's a pity because the Governor's residence is magnificent,' Mr Guidat says.
'Sometimes in life there are things you cannot understand. It was obviously a decision that was taken at a very high level between Beijing and Lisbon.' Mr Guidat has managed the Bela Vista since 1993, a year after it reopened, following a lavish US$7 million (HK$54 million) renovation. The hotel is 80 per cent owned by the Macau Tourist Office, with the remaining 20 per cent shared between Shun Tak Holdings and the Mandarin Oriental group, Mr Guidat's employers.
'We have a management contract as well as shares in the hotel, but all the ownership side will still have to be sorted out. We had no clue this was going to happen. The renovation work took three years and was finished in 1992. We tried to bring the hotel's history alive. It is not a replica, it is the original, brought back to life,' says Mr Guidat.
'And now they are going to spend more money to destroy what was re-created. Somebody up there [he laughs] made the decision . . . but I don't understand.' Although the handover is not until December 20, 1999, the eight-room hotel will close early next year. During the late 1980s, when it faced the prospect of demolition, five drunken, memorable farewell balls were held. This time, the farewells will be for real.