Tai O Heritage Hotel Preservation

One of seven historic buildings that make up the first phase of the government’s Revitalizing Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme, the Old Tai O Police Station was recently restored and converted into the boutique Tai O Heritage Hotel, which opened at the end of February. The proposal was put forward by the Hong Kong Heritage Conservation Foundation, beating out 22 other organizations that applied to use the space.

“It’s very hard to maintain historic buildings as museums, because you can only get money from the entry fee,” says Winnie Yeung, assistant manager at the Hong Kong Heritage Conservation Foundation [full disclosure: Yeung used to be the deputy editor of HK Magazine]. “We thought that what Tai O really lacked was accommodation. People travel two hours from the city to come here, but then they keep thinking about how they have to spend another two hours to go back out, so they can’t really enjoy the village.”

The Armoury and Interview Room (now the “Commissioner” suite) before and after

Built by the British in 1902, the building is categorized as a Grade II historic site. Its location was chosen due to its proximity to an old Chinese-British border along the South China Sea. “Technically, before 1997, if you fell into the water, those were Chinese waters,” says Yeung. Another building for dormitories and a canteen was built in 1962, but the police ultimately moved inland in 1996 and used the building as a patrol post instead, since the border would be dissolved a year later. The building was unused and empty from 2002 to 2008, which was when the revitalization scheme was announced. The building’s architecture is quintessentially colonial, with Western features (arches) combined with Chinese elements (the tiled roof).

With nine rooms, one restaurant, and a reception desk, this hotel is tiny indeed. But the hotel is really merely a vehicle for its actual purpose—to educate visitors about the building’s history, as well as the history of the neighboring village. Before opening for business, the hotel was opened up to the public throughout March, receiving approximately 16,000 visitors. Now, free tours are given daily (3pm and 4pm), and the entirety of the hotel (except for occupied rooms) remains open to the public. Each room in the hotel has a plaque that explains its historical use—from inspector’s office to canteen to armory. The reporting room and two holding cells were converted into a reception and a small souvenir shop, where visitors can purchase a book about the site, prints, and other trinkets. There’s also a documentary about Tai O that can be accessed through the rooms’ television system; a five-minute version can also be played at the reception desk. In order to take care of the building itself, the amount of traffic must be moderated, so visitors are encouraged to sign up online before stopping by for a tour.

The first floor rooftop (now The Lookout) before and after