Rosewood Hotel Group to press on with clubhouse takeover as opposition escalates

Rosewood Hotel Group in Hong Kong will press ahead with a controversial plan to change the operator at a clubhouse in Central on August 8, despite escalating opposition from a group of members, the South China Morning Post has learned.Sources said the hotelier’s Carlyle & Co private club would take over the operation of the Town Club in Central from the Hong Kong Golf & Tennis Academy (HKGTA) as planned.However, a group of HKGTA patrons is still pursuing ways to oppose the takeover, including writing to the Legislative Council Secretariat after filing complaints with the Consumer Council and the Customs and Excise Department under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance.“The transitional changes will proceed as planned on 8 August,” an insider familiar with the situation said.Rosewood had delayed the change of operator by two months from June.In what Rosewood called a rebranding of the Town Club, the planned takeover of operations emerged several months ago and angered a group of HKGTA members especially those with perpetual memberships.They had paid as much as HK$2.68 million (US$342,086) for a perpetual membership and said they had learned through news reports that Carlyle & Co would take over the operation of the Town Club in early June.