| Conrad to manage hotel in Bali, Indonesia | Return to Headlines |
| 09 February 2004 – Hilton International is set to open a hotel in Bali, Indonesia under its Conrad brand. The US$60-million Conrad Bali Resort and Spa is located on the southern coast of Bali, next to the Nusa Dua Resort area. The hotel will comprise 313 rooms and suites as well as 20 private villas. Opening is expected in March 2004. | |
| Accor opens Ibis Hotel in Tianjin, China | Return to Headlines |
| 09 February 2004 – Accor announced the opening of its Ibis Hotel in Tianjin, China. Positioned in the economy hotel sector, the 154-room hotel is located in the Technology and Development Industrial Area of Tianjin. The group is also set to launch the Hotel Ibis Chengdu in Sichuan Province and the Hotel Ibis in Qingdao in 2005. | |
| Visitor arrivals to Vietnam up 17.3% in January | Return to Headlines |
| 09 February 2004 – Visitor arrivals to Vietnam reached 288,400 in January, an increase of 17.3% year-on-year despite the bird flu epidemic. The main feeder markets include China, Japan, South Korea and the US. | |
| Investment privileges to be resumed for five-star hotel in Chiang Mai | Return to Headlines |
| 09 February 2004 – The Board of Investment has been asked to resume investment privileges for five-star hotel projects as well as spa businesses in Chiang Mai to accommodate the government’s policy to develop the province as a tourism and aviation hub for southern China and Indochina. Between 1998 and 2003, about THB8.5 million in capital was invested in 17 provinces in the North, representing only 3% of the country’s total investment. | |
| Outrigger to manage new resort in New Zealand | Return to Headlines |
| 10 February 2004 – Outrigger Hotels and Resorts announced the opening of its boutique-style Outrigger Resort in New Zealand. The resort, located at the Beacon in Queenstown, comprises 37 suites in the first phrase. Furthermore, conference and recreational facilities as well as an additional of 70 rooms will be added to the resort when is fully completed in the second half of 2004. | |
| Grande Asset Development to invest in hotel & residential projects in Thailand | Return to Headlines |
| 10 February 2004 – Thailand’s Grande Asset Development plans to invest approximately THB4 billion in constructing new hotels and residential projects this year. According to The Nation, quoting the company chairman Pongphan Sampawakoop, the firm's future income would be split equally between hotels and residential developments. | |
| Shangri-La set for expansion in China | Return to Headlines |
| 10 February 2004 – Shangri-La Asia is seeking to raise a total of US$375 million through the issuance of convertible bonds and a share placement. The group is planning to issue US$200 million in five-year, zero-coupon bonds and seeking another US$175 million in a share placement. The proceeds will be used for the new hotel developments in China. Currently, Shangri-La has 1,681 rooms under development in China. | |
| New Radisson hotel in Noida, India | Return to Headlines |
| 11 February 2004 – Carlson Hotels Asia Pacific has announced the opening of the five-star Radisson Hotel in Noida, India. Owned by MBD group, the hotel is located in the business district of Noida. The hotel, which covers an area of 8,000 square metres, comprises 120 rooms and recreational facilities including spa, swimming pool, tennis and squash courts and a golf course. | |
| SkyCity acquires MGM Grand Darwin for US$150 million | Return to Headlines |
| 11 February 2004 – SkyCity Entertainment Group, a New Zealand-based gambling and entertainment company, has agreed to acquire an Australian hotel-casino for approximately US$150 million. The sale of the MGM Grand Darwin, which is owned by Las Vegas-based MGM Mirage, is expected to be completed in the mid-2004. The resort is located in the port city of Darwin, in northern Australia. | |
| New attraction in Hong Kong | Return to Headlines |
| 11 February 2004 – Construction works of the Tung Chung Cable Car Project in Hong Kong officially commenced yesterday. The new attraction, located on Lantau Island, is being developed and financed by MTR Corporation and is scheduled to be completed in 2006. The Project comprises a 5.7-km cableway linking two terminals at Tung Chung and Ngong Ping as well as a Village next to the Ngong Ping plateau, featuring the Buddha Statue. | |
| World Resort Berhad acquires share in London Clubs International | Return to Headlines |
| 11 February 2004 – Resorts World, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysian parent company World Resort Berhad, has acquired 2.67 million shares in London Clubs International, representing 1.8% of the business. The purchase has increased Resorts World’s current stake in the London Clubs International to 11%. | |
| Grande Asset Development’s stock yields 16% return on its debut | Return to Headlines |
| 11 February 2004 – According to The Nation, Grande Asset Development Plc’s stock yielded a 16% return above the offering price during its debut yesterday. The stock traded at THB5.2 at the opening and closed at THB4.96. The company recently raised THB700 million from an initial public offering of 150 million shares at THB4.85 per share to finance hotel projects in Thailand. | |
| ANA Hotel Singapore closes down | Return to Headlines |
| 12 February 2004 – ANA Hotels & Resorts Co., a unit of All Nippon Airways, will close the ANA Hotel Singapore on March 31. The 457-room hotel, located in the Orchard Road district, is currently managed by ANA Hotels & Resorts under a contract with CapitaLand Residential, which owns the hotel and the site. CapitaLand has plans to build large condominiums on this 11,386-square metre freehold site. | |
| Aman Resorts to open hotel in Bhutan | Return to Headlines |
| 12 February 2004 – Aman Resorts Group is set to launch its first international hotel in Paro, Bhutan. The US$20-million Amanrila will comprise 24 rooms and is scheduled to open in April. | |
| Visitor arrivals to Macao down 3.5% in 2003 | Return to Headlines |
| 12 February 2004 – According to the Macao Statistics and Census Bureau, visitor arrivals at hotel accommodation in Macao reached 3 million in 2003, a 3.5% decline compared to 2002. Currently, Macao has 69 hotels with a total number of 9,185 rooms. | |
| Viceroy Hotel to be re-branded under Marriott brand | Return to Headlines |
| 12 February 2004 – Viceroy Hotel in India will be re-branded the Hyderabad Marriott following a completion of the Rs70-crore expansion project in November 2004. The expansion project includes an additional of 140 rooms and a convention centre which can accommodate about 1,500 people. | |
| Carlson Hotels to manage first Regent hotel in China | Return to Headlines |
| 13 February 2004 – Carlson Hotels Asia Pacific has signed an agreement to manage a new luxury hotel to be built at Ningbo in the Yantze River Delta. Scheduled to open in October 2005, The Regent Ningbo will be the first international luxury hotel in Ningbo, 160 kilometres south of Shanghai. The 325-room Regent Ningbo will be part of major redevelopment works currently underway to transform the downtown area of The Ningbo Economic and Technical Development Zone, also known as Beilun. Other facilities will include 7 food and beverage outlets and a 1,000-square metre ballroom. The hotel will be developed by Yuan Wang Huaxia Real Estate Development Company. | |
| Quest Serviced Apartment Group to add one in Australia | Return to Headlines |
| 13 February 2004 – Quest, Australia's largest serviced apartment group, announced the opening of its first serviced apartment in Melbourne, Australia. The 105-apartment Quest docklands is scheduled to open in the last quarter of 2005. Furthermore, the group will expand its apartment portfolios to New South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory, Victoria and New Zealand. | |
| Riverina Hotels completes right issue | Return to Headlines |
| 13 February 2004 – Riverina Hotels, part of the Confifi Group, yesterday successfully completed its Rs. 81 million Rights Issue. The issue on the basis of two new shares for five existing was at Rs. 20. A spokesman for Riverina said that applications received for the rights and for additional shares exceed the number of shares offered by the company, resulting in an oversubscription. Riverina Hotel, a Tourist Board approved 4-star hotel, is the largest individual resort property in Sri Lanka with 192 rooms. The hotel will close for five months from 1st May to 30th September 2004 for a comprehensive renovation covering entrances, lobbies, restaurants and guest rooms which will be fully renovated to international 4-star standards. | |
| Shangri-La H&R to open nine new hotels in China | Return to Headlines |
| 13 February 2004 – Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, the management arm of Hong Kong-listed Shangri-La Asia plans to open nine new hotels in China by 2008, mostly in second-tier cities. Shangri-La’s Public Relations Director in China, Judy Wang, said the luxury hotel operator will open eight five-star Shangri-la brand hotels and one four-star Traders in cities including Zhengzhou, Chengdu, Changzhou and Haikou. Shangri-La Asia announced that it will issue new shares and bonds, and will use HKD2.34-2.54 billion out of HKD2.89 billion estimated proceeds to finance new hotel development plans primarily in China. | |
