Central Hotel and Grand Hotel

　　 Once looking up into the distance at Senado Square, three colossal Chinese characters “新中央” (Central Hotel) atop a structure catch the sight of passersby. The building was the hotel where Gao Jianfu held his last painting exhibition in Macao. Originally named President Hotel, it was opened to business on 22 July, 1928 and was the first of its kind in Macao equipped with elevator. It was 6-storeys, being the highest hotel of the city by then. In 1932, it was renamed into Central Hotel, where gaming tycoon Kou Ho Neng and businessman Fu Tak Iam opened the “Hou Heng Lady Escort and Entertainment”, a casino complex of impressive scale offering a diversity of entertainments. The 9-storeys Grand Hotel was inaugurated on 9 March, 1941, a joint investment by the President of Bank of Canton, Fok Bo Choi, and his cousin Ng Ting Wai. There was a Western restaurant and a bar on the 1st floor, a dance hall seated in the 2nd floor, a Chinese restaurant in the 3rd floor and hotels rooms occupied the rest of the floors. It was the highest hotel across Macao by then with the most innovative design and modernized facilities. Seeking to surpass its new competitor, the owner of Central Hotel pooled capital to turn it into an 11-storey building and renamed as “New Central Hotel” in Chinese. By today, Grand Hotel is already out of business while New Central Hotel is still thriving.