Noble House - The Peninsula

In the TV series Noble House from 1988, starring Pierce Brosnan, quite a few Bond locations from The Man With the Golden Gun feature. One of the most prominent Bond locations seen in Noble House is the Peninsula hotel, where Casey Tcholok and Lincoln Bartlett are staying throughout their visit in Hong Kong. We get several establishing shots of the entrance and the facade throughout the series. Note among other things Union Jack visible to the right in the picture below.

Noble House was of course filmed when Hong Kong was still a British Crown Colony, something that is most apparent in the series. The upcoming handover of Hong Kong to China and the uncertain future is cause for major concern for the main characters. It is only Mr Tip, chairman of the Bank of China, that is looking forward to the handover with confidence.

The Peninsula in 2012

The Peninsula is one of the best places in all of Hong Kong and it is a must to stay here for at least one night. A one-way transfer to Hong Kong Airport or another address of your choice, with one of the hotel's green Rolls Royces ("the Peninsula green") is included in the room charge. The same green Rolls Royces are mentioned in Golden Gun, when Goodnight states that all green Rolls Royces belong to the Peninsula hotel. The green Rolls Royces are famous and why Goodnight would need a two year post into staff intelligence to know that is unclear.

The old entrance is seen several times in the series, inter alia when Dunross arrives at the hotel in the beginning of the second episode. The entrance was rebuilt in 1994 when the steps were removed and an underground garage was built. At the same time, the the original building was expanded with a 30-storey tower, adding another 132 rooms and a helipad to the hotel. However, the classic facade was preserved and the entrance as well as the exterior is still unmistakable.

The original entrance seen in Noble House was how the entrance looked in 1974, at the time of filming of The Man With the Golden Gun covered here earlier. 

In first scene in the second episode, the Tai Pan (Brosnan) picks up Casey and Linc at the Peninsula before dinner. He meets them in the lobby which was then just a lobby. Today the lobby has been remodeled and it is the place where the famous Peninsula afternoon tea is served.

An extra row of pillars has been put in. Otherwise, the overall interior has not changed a lot since 1988.

The lobby in 2012

"-And what do you forecast will happen in 1997, when the treaty making Hong Kong a British colony expires, and all this reverts to us, and becomes truly part of China once again.
 -I think 1997 will take care of 1997. But old friends will still gonna need old friends."
                                - Mr Tip and Dunross discuss the future of Hong Kong in the first episode-

Afternoon tea at the Peninsula is a memorable experience. It is not possible to reserve a table, unless you are a guest at the hotel, something else that makes being a guest a the Peninsula worth it. If not, you may have to queue for up to an hour or more while waiting for a table.