There's a new stack of serviced apartments in Central. The Yin was opened on Thursday with a cosy cocktail gathering at its Wellington Street premises, in close proximity to the Graham Street wet market. Offering all the modern amenities any Blackberry-carrying executive needs in a slick rooming package, architect Philip Liao Yi-kang described its look as 'industrial chic'.
'You can see the exposed bricks on the wall and the ducts above. Even the bathroom's copper pipes have been displayed so it looks a bit like a work of art,' he said.
However, what's truly different about this 21-storey block is that it was developed by a Hong Kong company better known for making vacuum cleaners and power tools. Chiaphua Industries, run by CEO/managing director Herbert Cheng Jnr (pictured), has been around for more than 80 years, and this is the company's first foray into service and hospitality. Unfortunately, the busy (and media-shy) boss left quickly after the ceremony, leaving his minions to explain the project.
'We are traditionally an industrial company,' a company representative admitted about the odd expansion. 'I know Mr Cheng did a good amount of research to look into which industry and market was viable as a good business.'
