To commemorate its closure, van Dullemen and one of the hotel’s most loyal guests fired the Noonday Gun, a naval artillery piece by the waterfront opposite the 34-storey building.

The gun salute has been a local tradition for the hotel, and was used to mark its 20th, 35th and 45th anniversaries.

“The support we’ve had from our most loyal guests, the passion, the commitment of our colleagues, and the support we’ve received from everyone around us really touched our hearts,” van Dullemen said. Paul Cheeseman, 55, one of the guests who flew in from London to join van Dullemen for the ceremony, said he was sad to see it go.

“It’s a great shame,” said Cheeseman, who has stayed at the hotel for 34 visits, spanning 183 nights since 1992. “I don’t know where I will stay next time, it’s become part of my life really.”

The hotel’s closure was announced last year by Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, a unit of the Jardine Matheson conglomerate, after a 2017 sale failed to meet the minimum price.

Instead of selling it, Jardine will spend US$650 million over six years turning it into a 26-storey grade A office block.

Most staff members have been made redundant, but can apply for jobs within the hotel group.

The Excelsior goes out with a party and a bang

The decision was the result of weighing Hong Kong’s office rents – the highest in the world by square foot – against the millions of dollars needed to upgrade the hotel to keep up with newer and posher rivals in the city.

The Excelsior, which opened for business in 1973, was built on Lot One, the very first parcel of land sold in 1842 when Hong Kong became a British colony.

Often described as iconic and run by a family of employees, the hotel’s occupancy still tops 80 per cent, and a flood of restaurant bookings followed the announcement that it was to close.

Many of the staff have worked at The Excelsior for two decades, some for 40 years, and no one has resigned since the announcement.

Tears were shed as hundreds of workers gathered at the lobby to say goodbye one last time on Sunday.

“We are Excelsior! Thank you for the support, I hope we meet again some day!” they chanted, their thunderous applause even drowning out the sound of the sudden downpour outside.

Eric Lam Choi-yeung, who has worked at the hotel for 12 years, said he would always remember the hotel as a place that represented friendship and togetherness. “I’ve spent more time here than I have at home. It’s always been very busy, but also very happy,” said the 42-year-old, who works as the director of risk management.

Memories of The Excelsior, where guests invited staff for meals and holidays

A former staff member, Suke Lu Hsiu-ying, 40, recalled staying through thick and thin during 15 years of service in sales. “The outbreak of Sars in 2003 was the worst,” Lu said. “We saw the occupancy rate go from 90 to 20 per cent, the lobby was completely empty, we even had to go on no-pay leave.

“But even through all of that, it always felt like home and the people always felt like family to me.”

Monita Sin Hoi-yan, who is in her 30s and has spent every Christmas at the hotel for more than 20 years, said the closure was bittersweet.

“We started carolling here in secondary school for Christmas, and there’s been so many memories and bonds built here,” Sin said, wiping away tears as she posed for farewell photos with her old classmates outside the closed doors.

Although the building will soon be razed to the ground, van Dullemen said it was not going to wipe out almost half a century of memories.

“A hotel is not a building. A hotel is made up by the colleagues and the guests,” he said. “I believe that it’s important that in 10, 20 years from now, everybody can look back on this as a really special time of their lives.”