Northstar

FEATURE SINGAPORE: BANYAN TREE Banyan Tree is renowned for its high standards of accommodation, offering its own style which incorporates its signature blend of "romance, rejuvenation and exotic sensuality". Its name – Banyan Tree – is a symbol of sanctuary, for which one finds internal harmony and peace of mind. Its fl agship hotel Banyan Tree Phuket was offi cially opened in 1995 on the Laguna Phuket development. Its owners then set up as Thai Wah Resorts Development in 1983, had acquired a large piece of land on the site of an abandoned tin mine at Bangtao Bay, Phuket. I n May 1998 the company's name was changed to Laguna Resorts & Hotels Public Company Limited to refl ect its core operations. On its ambitious Laguna Phuket resort, there are seven hotels including Banyan Tree Phuket opened in 1995. The Sheraton Grande Laguna (1993) has been renamed the Angsana Laguna Phuket in 2011, and the Dusit Thani Phuket has been sold to Dusit International in 2010. Banyan Tree Holdings Limited is the largest shareholder in Laguna Resorts & Hotels Public Company Limited, controlling 54.8 per cent of total shares. From a single boutique resort in Phuket, Banyan Tree has grown into a . multi-business operator globally. Listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange, the group has 30 hotels and resorts, 64 spas, 80 galleries and three golf courses in 28 countries. By 2014, it expects to have 40 hotels and resorts, 87 spas, and 112 galleries in 33 countries. The resorts each typically has between 50 and 10 rooms; its spas are internationally known and it has its own spa academies. The company has ownership interests in 15 Banyan Tree, Angsana and Laguna resorts and hotels. It manages15 resorts and hotels, of which 14 are under the Banyan Tree and Angsana brands. Angsana Hotels and Resorts was launched as its sister brand with the opening of its fi rst resort in Bintan, Indonesia in 2000. It has grown to its current portfolio of more than 10 resorts and over 40 spas. Banyan Tree is also spreading globally to include the Middle East, Central America, Europe and Africa. It opened the Banyan Tree Riverside, Shanghai last year, and 2012 will see the opening of fi ve BanyanTree – in Tianjin, Hue (Vietnam), Kerala, Shanghai, Jiuzhaigou (China). A new Banyan Tree each is scheduled for Costa Navarino, Pylos (Greece), Tetouan (Morocca),Oman , Montenegro and Portugal, and China will have fi ve more. PAN PACIFIC HOTELS GROUP Pan Pacific Hotels Group was formed in 2009 after the successful integration of two brands – Pan Pacifi c Hotels and Resorts and PARKROYAL Hotels & Resorts. It was formerly known as Hotel Plaza Limited, and is a hotel subsidiary of Singapore – listed UOL Group, one of Asia's most established hotel and property companies. "Pan Pacifi c" was acquired from its holding company, UOL Group in 2008. Pan Pacifi c Hotels Group was so named to refl ect its growing reputation as a leading hotel management group. The "Pan Pacifi c" brand (with over 30 years of international recognition) was chosen to represent the new identity of the Group. Today, it is an international hotel management company that owns and/ or manages 29 hotels with a total of 9,034 rooms across 19 cities. It owns 14 properties and has two under development in its portfolio, which also includes serviced suites. Fully managed properties total 15 plus there are four in the pipeline. Two others hotel in Vietnam are managed by others. Its six pipeline properties with 1,808 rooms are in four cities – Ningbo, Shanghai, Singapore and Tianjin. In Singapore, its flagship PARKROYAL on Pickering is scheduled to be completed at the end of 2012. In 2009, when PPHG was formed, it had embarked on its growth strategy to expand and has extended its management services to properties in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Bali and Xiamen. The UOL Group had bought Pan Pacific Hotels & Resorts from Tokyu Corporation of Japan in 2007 which headquartered in Singapore (since 1995). PPHR has 20 premium hotels, resorts and serviced suites, including those under development. PARKROYAL Hotels & Resorts comprises 13 hotels, resorts and serviced suites, including those under development. Hotel Plaza Ltd had as its fi rst hotel the Hotel Merlin (now called PARKROYAL on Beach Road) which opened in 1971, and renamed Plaza Hotel later. In 1989, it acquired the New Park Hotel, which is now the PARKROYAL on Kitchener Road. In 1993-2001, Hotel Plaza Ltd grew its portfolio in Asia Pacific, and in Banyan Tree Phuket Pool Villa www.travelweeklyweb.com 2002, it acquired the PARKROYAL brand name in SouthEast Asia, the Indian subcontinent and North Asia. In 2006, Hotel Plaza Ltd changed all of its hotels in Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar and Vietnam to PARKROYAL. 10 APRIL 2012 | TRAVELWEEKLY ASIA ■ | 5 Pan Pacifi c Singapore www.travelweeklyweb.com

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