Northstar

NOV-DEC 2017 21 meetings & conventions • mcmag-asia.com HILTON WORLDWIDE Hilton, which promotes its MICE sector as one of its key business areas, has also seen positive growth across all of its brands in APAC. "In Asia Pacific, we have strategically deployed seven of our 14 high-quality, distinct brands," said Rupert Hallam, Vice President of Sales, APAC. "Hilton is one of the fastest-growing global hospitality companies in the region, with more than one in five rooms under construction carrying a Hilton branded name. This year alone, the brand opened an average of one hotel each week in Asia Pacific." New hotels include the brand's 100th hotel in Greater China, Hilton Quanzhou Riverside, located right in the heart of Quanzhou which is an important economic centre in southeastern China for the corporate and MICE segments. The new Conrad Guangzhou, located in the CBD of Zhujiang New Town, offers meeting organisers and delegates state- of-the-art facilities. "As various parts of Asia Pacific become increasingly accessible, meeting planners are now turning to venues and destinations beyond conventional urban cities like Singapore and Hong Kong. They are now looking at upcom- ing destinations such as Vietnam and Thailand, where there are more options across segments and at reasonable prices – and we are meeting this demand with our robust pipeline in Asia Pacific," said Hallam. "This year alone, the brand opened an average of one hotel each week in Asia Pacific." – RUPERT HALLAM, VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES, APAC, HILTON WORLDWIDE Top: The Horizon Lobby Bar in Hilton Quanzhou Riverside HYATT HOTELS CORPORATION Hyatt gets active on the Asia hotel trail with multiple brand concepts in both new and familiar markets this year. Its expansion is perhaps most evident in China where Hyatt has opened four different brand concepts across seven new properties throughout the country. These include: Hyatt Regency, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt House and Hyatt Place. It's also cultivating its presence in India, having introduced the 27th branded hotel with the opening of Hyatt Place Rameswaram and Hyatt Regency Lucknow this year. In Southeast Asia, Hyatt opened Park Hyatt Bangkok and welcomed its first Andaz hotel in the region with its 342-room luxury property in Singapore. Pipeline projects include the first Park Hyatt in Jakarta (2018), Hyatt Place Tokyo Bay, Japan (2019), and the first Hyatt Centric and Hyatt House hotel combination in Kanazawa Japan (2020). Hyatt has also announced ambitions to develop the second-largest Grand Hyatt hotel in the world in Jeju, South Korea. These openings highlight Hyatt's ambitions to stay competitive as an international hotel brand. They are "a testament to our commitment to strategic growth for these brands throughout the world," said Steve Haggerty, Hyatt's Global Head of Capital Strategy, Franchising and Select Service. "We are proud that Hyatt Place and Hyatt House hotels continue to open in markets where our guests are traveling, further demonstrating the overall strength and resonance of the brands with developers, owners and guests." Grand Hyatt Changsha

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