The Peninsula hotel, known as the 'Grand Old Lady', as it appeared on a pre-war 1930s postcard.

On 11 December 1928, The Peninsula hotel finally held its official opening. The plan had been to open in 1924, but everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. There were problems with the foundations. There was a civil war raging in China and riots in Hong Kong. When it was ready for occupation, the hotel was commandeered by the British army.

The name "Peninsular" can be found among the battle honours of the Coldstream Guards and Devonshire Regiment who were billeted in the hotel. They were awarded these honours for smashing the French armies during the Peninsular War and not for wrecking the bathrooms of The Peninsula hotel. When the army left, a complete renovation was needed. All the bathtubs had to be replaced. "They must have kept their guns in them!" remarked the hotel's chief engineer, Clifton Triggs.

Everybody was impressed by the building except the Acting Governo r, Thomas Southorn, who in his opening speech remarked: "Opinions may differ as to the line of architecture and decoration: some may prefer a Spartan simplicity, some the sumptuousness of an eastern palace – but there can be no two opinions as to the arrangements made for the hygienic cleanliness of the hotel and everything connected with it."

Southorn, who was a culture vulture, was probably afraid of what Virginia Woolf – his wife's sister-in-law ­– would say if he lavished praise on the cinquecento decor. Fate has a way of punishing intellectual snobs – Southorn Playground in Wan Chai is named after him.

Unlike Southorn, His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie, the Lion of Judah and Emperor of Ethiopia, who was a direct descendant of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, was not impressed by the hotel's plumbing. He had taken the whole of the sixth floor and it was the emperor's command that the Western-style lavatories should be replaced.

With ruthless efficiency, the hotel's contractors ripped out the British flush toilets and replaced them with the eastern variety. The logistics were horrendous, but "Operation Prester John", named after the legendary King of Abyssinia, took only two days. It is reported that the Lion of Judah had a comfortable stay.

Haile Selassie is probably the only genuine emperor to have stayed at The Peninsula, but it has always been popular with European royalty. American royalty has also enjoyed staying there. "The King of Hollywood", Clark Gable, used to sit in the lobby for hours, chatting with his friend, Jock, who occupied table number 44. John Prosser-Inglis, which was Jock's real name, lived in the hotel and had claimed this particular table as his own. It was known as "Jock's Office" and, when Jock was out of the office, a half-empty glass was left on the table and nobody else was allowed to sit there.

Gable seemed to spend more time holding court in Jock's Office than he did filming. Finally, the producer had enough. He was forced to put Jock's Office out-of-bounds; otherwise, Gable's film Soldier of Fortune would never have been finished.

Many important Asian political figures have patronised the hotel. The former First Lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos, often dined there. When the Anglo-French supersonic airliner, the Concorde, arrived in Manila on a sales promotion tour, the First Lady hijacked it for a side trip to Hong Kong. The plane touched down at 3.51pm and Imelda and her party were driven to The Peninsula where they demolished a magnificent banquet at the Marco Polo Suite.

At 7.18pm, after her late lunch, Concorde, with a very well-fed First Lady aboard, flew back to Manila. In spite of the heroic efforts of the French and British sales team, Philippine Airlines did not buy a single Concorde aircraft.