HK bankers occupy luxury hotels in Central amid the super typhoon

Hundreds of bankers and traders in Hong Kong flooded into luxury hotels in Central and Admiralty, leaving hotels fully booked as super typhoon Ragasa approached, Bloomberg reported.

As the Hong Kong stock market continued operations amid the typhoon, many financial professionals secured hotel rooms ahead of the typhoon's approach to ensure trading at their offices.

Major international banks, including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and HSBC (0005), had already asked most of their employees to work from home before the hurricane hit on Wednesday, the report said.

However, some finance workers like IT systems and trading staff were required to be present in the office, prompting them to secure rooms in nearby hotels, according to the report.

Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong nears HSBC's headquarter was almost sold out, while Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong in Central and hotels in Pacific Place were fully occupied, the report said.

In addition, some major conferences and forums have been moved online due to the strong typhoon, including the Hong Kong Fixed Income and Currency Forum 2025, which is jointly organized by the Securities and Futures Commission and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority.