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LABUAN: The long-abandoned Hotel Labuan which has been an eyesore ever since it was declared unsafe under disputed circumstances is finally being coming down, floor by floor.  

Excavators lifted to the roof of the 10-storey hotel with 150  rooms have begun knocking down the building, drawing great interest from many locals as the hotel had a connection to many.

It was a place for not only the elite but  also the ordinary who regularly gathered either for meetings, functions,wedding parties or other events. 

The hotel’s coffee house is remembered for its delicious mutton curry, cheese cake, coconut pudding, etc.

Some 20 former staff gathered outside the hotel recently for nostalgia and posted it in social media.

They worked in various departments of the establishment and shared memories of working in an iconic hotel.

The hotel had 250 employees when it was forcefully closed by the Labuan Development Authority (LDA) on 17th Nov. 1997 after 24 years in operation following a mistaken assessment that the building was structurally unsafe. 

All the guests and tenants were told to immediately vacate as if it was going to collapse at any time.

But at the time of demolition 28 years later, it was still standing strong with no dangerous cracks seen.

It is speculated that the hotel fell victim to differences between a powerful federal politician and former Chief Minister Tan Sri Harris Salleh, who sued and won RM34million in damages. 

The  latest staff reunion was the second after the one on August 2015.

The two daughers of Harris – Hajijah and Khatijah – both of whom served as general managers at different period hosted the reunion dinner.

The hotel was a family-owned business of Harris but now a property of Labuan Corporation which has not revealed plans on what would replace on the prime site.