When they say “plan ahead” in Hong...

When they say “plan ahead” in Hong Kong, they really mean it. Hotel rooms for the peak fall season are booked months in advance, and last-minute travelers are sometimes forced to camp out at the airport.

Now comes word that the colony’s grand old Peninsula Hotel is accepting reservations for June, 1997, when Hong Kong is scheduled to revert to Chinese rule. Early bookings have already come in from an Asian scholar at Harvard and officials of the British government.

“If you are going to see the dropping of the Union Jack, you may as well do it from the Peninsula,” says Hong Kong spokesman Richard Fursland.