The Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) has said its venue booking for their annual fundraising gala next Monday has been cancelled by Eaton HK Hotel, with no reason given.
In an email to attendees seen by HKFP, the association’s Executive Committee said on Thursday that it had paid a deposit to the Jordan hotel.
“HKJA received notice from the new venue, Eaton HK, stating they were ‘unable to host your proposed event.’ No reason was given,” the email said. “It is regrettable that, two times in a row in a short period of time, HKJA has had contracted bookings – for which deposits were paid and documents signed – cancelled by the venues.”
The email also said that the event would be cancelled temporarily and ticket refunds would be arranged as the union activates a fundraising backup plan. An online auction for 11 donated items will take place on February 28, whilst the union has also opened an online store.
HKFP has reached out to the Eaton HK for comment. HKJA chair Selina Cheng will hold a press conference outside Eaton HK at 3pm.
Selina Cheng, the chairperson of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, on September 13, 2024. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
The hotel is owned by the Langham Hospitality Group, which – in turn – is owned by Great Eagle Holdings. Both parent companies have business interests in mainland China.
When it opened in 2018, the hotel positioned itself as an “anti-Trump hotel,” and a hub for “guests, artists, activists and non-profits” with a focus on community engagement and social change, according to the South China Morning Post.
Regal Hotel ‘review bombed’
In an email to gala attendees last Friday, the HKJA said its original venue booking had been axed by the Regal Hotel.
Regal Hongkong Hotel in Causeway Bay. Photo: Wikicommons.
“We offered some alternatives to the hotel, including a change of date, a change of venue within Regal, or a change of menu, all of which were rejected,” the email read. “We have demanded the hotel give us a full explanation.”
The HKJA said the hotel told them that there was a water leak, causing the power supply to cut out intermittently. However, when an HKFP reporter visited the venue on Friday night, a Valentine’s Day matchmaking event was taking place at the function room the HKJA had booked. Three staff members had no knowledge of a power failure, and the hotel did not respond to official requests for comment.
The hotel removed social media posts in the wake of the incident. A spate of one-star reviews on its Google Business page, citing the alleged water leak and power issues, were removed over the weekend.
Press freedom decline
The city’s largest press union, the HKJA has met with increasing pressure from authorities over recent years. During the protests and unrest in 2019, pro-Beijing voices accused the group of smearing the police force, allowing “fake journalists” to join, and protecting protesters.
Earlier this month, the group was forced to seek alternative plans for its annual football tournament after the Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced a nearly two-month closure of a football pitch in Happy Valley where the matches were scheduled to take place.
