Marco Polo Hotels
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Hospitality |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Founder | Wharf (Holdings) Limited |
| Headquarters | Hong Kong , Hong Kong SAR |
Area served | Hong Kong, Mainland China, Philippines |
Key people | Chairman of Wharf (Holdings) Limited (also chairman of Marco Polo) |
| Products | Hotel management |
| Parent | Wharf (Holdings) Limited |
Marco Polo Hotels () is a hotel management enterprise headquartered in Hong Kong, overseeing properties throughout Hong Kong, Mainland China, and the Philippines. It operates as a fully owned subsidiary of Wharf (Holdings) Limited, whose chairman concurrently holds the position of chairman at Marco Polo.
History
Wharf initiated its hotel business in 1970 with the establishment of the Hong Kong Hotel, a partnership located near its Kowloon Wharf & Godown site. In 1982, Wharf transformed this area into the Harbour City development, introducing its inaugural fully owned hotel, the 440-room Marco Polo Hotel (which was later renamed Omni Marco Polo, then Gateway). Two years later, in 1984, the 393-room Prince Hotel was added within this same complex.
Originally under the management of The Peninsula Hotels, Wharf founded its own management entity, Marco Polo International, in 1986 to facilitate growth in regional hotel ventures.
In 1989, Wharf acquired Omni Hotels & Resorts in North America and rebranded its Asia-Pacific operations as Omni Hotels Asia-Pacific to unify marketing under the Omni brand. Consequently, the three Hong Kong hotels were renamed Omni Hong Kong Hotel, Omni Marco Polo Hotel, and Omni Prince Hotel. Following the divestment of Omni Hotels North America in 1996, Wharf reverted its Hong Kong properties’ branding back to Marco Polo Hotels. The Marco Polo Hotel was redesignated as Gateway Hotel, while the Hong Kong Hotel adopted the name Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel.
In 2013, Wharf obtained a lease to repurpose the HKSAR Government's Murray Building in Central into a luxury hotel featuring 336 rooms. This property opened in 2017 as The Murray, Hong Kong, a Niccolo Hotel, marking an entry into high-end hospitality for Marco Polo’s portfolio.
Properties
Marco Polo's portfolio primarily includes hotels in Hong Kong (Marco Polo Hongkong, Gateway Hotel, Prince Hotel), Mainland China (Parkside Beijing, Wuhan, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Jinjiang, Lingnan Tiandi Foshan), and the Philippines (Plaza Cebu, Davao, Ortigas Manila).
The group broadened its offerings in 2015 by launching Niccolo Hotels, a luxury brand. The inaugural Niccolo property debuted at International Finance Square (IFS) in Chengdu and was subsequently followed by locations in Chongqing, Changsha, Hong Kong SAR, and Suzhou.