Where does money stop and comfort start? How do you decide where “expensive” ends and “luxurious” begins? Lam Sai-wing, who runs the jewelry company Hang Fung Gold Technology, doesn’t see a problem. Once, he decided that everything he touches must be made of solid gold.

Based on this idea, the company built a high-end hotel in the beginning of the 2000s. The whole inside of the hotel is made of gold. Hong Kong is home to the Swisshorn Gold Palace Hotel.

The hotel was built with business in mind. It took five years to build and was made with two tons of gold worth $38 million.

It cost $28,000 for one night in the Golden House. A tour of the room costs only $3, but if you want to take a picture, you have to pay extra. Before going in, visitors have to wear shoe covers so they don’t scratch the gold floor of the 650-square-meter room.

Every room has 14K gold leaf from the floor to the roof. Gold is used for doors, windows, chairs, and other things inside. The mirrors and lights in the hotel shine, and the silverware and dishes are made of gold.

People rarely spend the night in the well-known hotel. It’s mostly a place for weddings and business parties. Every day, 3000 people come to see the Golden House.

The communism-inspired business

Lam Sai-wing grew up in a poor home in the middle of China.

The designer moved to Hong Kong when he was 21. After working hard for a few years, he bought a small store and later got very wealthy. The first amazing thing he did was decorate a public toilet with 24K gold. Its building cost £13 million. Tourists went there in huge numbers.

Lam understood quickly that gold is the best answer. The crisis of 2008 hurt the company, but the price of gold has gone up a lot. The price of gold going up made things easier and made the situation better.