The owner of Macau’s Beijing Imperial Palace Hotel, home of the shuttered Greek Mythology Casino, has submitted an application to redevelop the site, including the addition of two new buildings.
According to the proposal, published by the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT), the redevelopment would see the new ground floor development moved back at least two meters from its current location while the two new buildings would face height restrictions of between 70 meters to a maximum of 140 meters. The total size of the land plot is listed as 14,900 square meters.
Beijing Imperial Palace Hotel found itself at the heart of an ownership dispute in May last year after it was claimed that Suncity Group Chairman Alvin Chau had seized control via his company Victory Success. In response, Hong Kong-listed Amax International, which until recently held a 24.8% stake in Greek Mythology, claimed otherwise, revealing in a filing that, “The company was informed by the hotel management that the hotel management is still in charge of the hotel and in no event the control rights of the hotel has been passed to Mr Chau.
“In addition, the hotel management obtained a court order from Juizo Civel do Tribunal Judicial de Base of Macau on 17 May 2018 which has judged that Victory Success Holdings Limited has invaded the hotel property and ordered them to leave the hotel and return it to the hotel management within five calendar days. The hotel management is of the view that the Court Order could further protect their control rights of the hotel.”
Beijing Imperial Palace Hotel, now known as New Century Hotel, was run by Macau Hotel Developers Ltd with Entertainment Group Corporation running Greek Mythology until the hotel was ordered to close by the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) in 2016 due to what MGTO director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes described at the time as “serious administrative irregularities which constitute threats to public safety.”
The hotel’s license was subsequently revoked in January 2017.
Amax has had its own issues at the property, having been unable to contact the management of Greek Mythology since 2017. In February this year it agreed to write off the entire asset and sell its 24.8% stake to a local Macau investment firm, Fu Po International Limited, for just HK$38,000.
The DSSOPT will collect public opinions on the proposed redevelopment of Beijing Imperial Palace Hotel until 18 July.
