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Pan Pacific Hotels Adds Second Hotel in Singapore, the Negara
on Claymore Will be Rebranded the Pan Pacific Orchard
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Planning a New Build 342 room Pan Pacific Hotel in Tianjin, China
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Singapore --- December 20, 2007 - Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts announces its plans to debut in Tianjin, China�s third largest city and add a second hotel in Singapore. This is part of its growth strategy to extend its brand footprint and establish and consolidate its presence in key cities around the world. Both Pan Pacific Tianjin, China and Pan Pacific Orchard, Singapore will expand Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts� current portfolio to 13 hotels.

�The Pan Pacific Tianjin in China and the Pan Pacific Orchard in Singapore mark our success in expanding our network and strengthening our brand presence in key cities in Asia. Both these hotels will allow us to capture not only the upswing inbound tourism into Tianjin and Singapore but also cater to the growing demand for Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts� luxury accommodation and impeccable personalized service in these two fast-growing cities. Having a second Pan Pacific hotel in Singapore also means that we can now offer travellers a choice to stay at either the award-winning Pan Pacific Singapore in the Marina Bay area or the Pan Pacific Orchard on Orchard Road. We are confident that these two new hotels will become leading hotels in their respective cities and will create unique and memorable experiences for our guests,� said Mr Gwee Lian Kheng, Group CEO of Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts. 

Pan Pacific Tianjin, China

Slated to open in 2010, the 342-room Pan Pacific Tianjin will be the accommodation of choice for visitors to Tianjin. The new-build hotel will have luxurious guest rooms and junior suites as well as a host of amenities including an executive lounge, a specialty restaurant, an all day dining lobby lounge, a fully equipped gym, and a swimming pool with river view. The hotel also has meeting room facilities comprising two ballrooms and 15 function rooms covering a total meeting space of 2,378 square metres. The 24-storey Pan Pacific Tianjin will form part of a mixed-development comprising residential apartments, office and retail components, acquired by a joint venture company Tianjin UOL Xiwang Real Estate Development Co., Ltd.

Located in the northwest of downtown in the Hong Qiao District along Zhang Zhi Zong Lu, the Pan Pacific Tianjin offers a panoramic view of the Hai He River. It is in a perfect location for leisure travelers to experience Tianjin, offering close proximity to the city�s attractions. This northern Chinese port city, which registered a year on year increase of 14.4% for its GDP growth in 2006, is charting a new economic path via the establishment of high tech industries such as the establishment of assembly plants for A320 airliners in 2009. The Pan Pacific Tianjin will be well placed to provide upscale accommodation and meetings facilities for the business community in Tianjin. From 31 December 2007, Chinese-speaking travelers will now be able to book their rooms at panpacific.com easily and more conveniently. They can select the Chinese language option on the website to browse and access hotel information and complete the entire reservation process in Chinese. Alternatively, travelers can also call the dedicated China toll-free number: 00 800 7722 4342.

Pan Pacific Orchard, Singapore

As of 1 February 2008, the Negara on Claymore ( formerly Meritus Negara Singapore) will be rebranded as the Pan Pacific Orchard. It will be the brand�s second property to be established in the city state of Singapore, within the commercial, retail, dining and entertainment enclave of Orchard Road. The 20-storey hotel will be the ideal accommodation for travelers who appreciate this close proximity where they can indulge in retail therapy at nearby shopping malls, enjoy culinary pleasures and explore the city�s key attractions conveniently. For the business travelers, the central business district is only a ten-minute drive or ride via the MRT train. 

Owned by UOL Group since January 2007, the soon-to-be Pan Pacific Orchard has undergone an extensive refurbishment programme and will continue to enhance its guest rooms as well as its host of amenities to align with the signature style and brand offerings of Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts. Of its 200 guest rooms, 48 are Pacific Club luxury executive suites and rooms. These premium Club rooms will be newly styled in a contemporary décor, with improved furnishings and fittings and enhanced amenities by January 2008. 

Guests staying on these four levels of luxurious Pacific Club rooms can enjoy special club privileges such as priority check-in and check-out, dedicated butler service, complimentary internet access and exclusive access to the unique open-living concept Pacific Club lounge for complimentary breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktails. Additional hotel facilities include a well-equipped business centre, six meeting rooms with a total space of 462.2 square metres, a boardroom, a lobby lounge, the popular Vibe restaurant featuring a signature modern churrasco, a Straits-Chinese restaurant specializing in authentic Peranakan cuisine, a spa, a fitness centre as well as a mineral water swimming pool which uses NASA-patented ionisation technology to destroy bacteria 1,000 times more effectively than chlorine � a first for a Singapore hotel.

Pan Pacific Singapore Completes Renovation November 2007

Pan Pacific Singapore recently completed a renovation of the hotel�s rooms and suites in November 2007. With a multi-million dollar investment, the new rooms and suites boast a contemporary look and feel while maintaining the signature warmth of the brand�s accommodation design aesthetic.

The overall changes included soft furnishing, furniture and bathroom fixtures. Technological updates encompass the air-conditioning, lighting and audio-visual capabilities with the introduction of sleek flat screen Hitachi LCD televisions, Bose Home Entertainment systems (suites only) and a custom-designed audio-visual portal (Please refer to the Custom-tailored Traveler Technology section). Key features such as the ample work desk, designer Artemide Tolomeo lamps and ergonomic Herman Miller chairs have been maintained.

Pan Pacific Singapore continues a refurbishment-driven approach with over SGD$73 million invested since 1995. Significant public area refurbishment was conducted in the last quarter of 2005 where the hotel launched the first business centre - The Executive Centre - encompassing an entire floor on level 22. This included seven meeting spaces offering full-length window views of the city or harbor.

Says General Manager Mr. Scott Swank, �The renovation is evidence of our continued commitment to provide guests with the most updated facilities. Since the launch of the Executive Business Floors in February 2006, we have experienced overwhelming demand for this room category as today�s business travelers become more sophisticated and selective in their accommodation choices. In light of ever-competitive conditions within the industry on a local and global level, it is vital for hospitality players to initiate improvements proactively rather than being reactive.� 

Technology

Pan Pacific Singapore�s S$14 million renovation from March to November goes above and beyond aesthetical improvement to enhance the technological capabilities of guest accommodation. The features are conceptualized with guests� needs in mind based on travel trends that indicate that travelers are increasingly tech-savvy and increasingly rely on a myriad of technological equipment while on-the-go.

As part of the refurbishment exercise, Flatscreen LCD Televisions are now a key feature in rooms (32�) and suites (37�). In line with customized guest accommodation experiences, the hotel ordered a custom-made sophisticated Audio-Visual Portal (A.V. portal) to be installed in all 775 rooms and suites to enhance the technological aspect of guests� stay. The state-of-the-art multi-connectivity port panel offers integrated audio-visual output solutions via flat screen television. 

Going the extra mile, the hotel has taken the initiative to outfit each room with a Cable Wire kit containing six different cable wires to facilitate the connection of the audio-visual devices to the A.V. portal. Guests can look forward to connecting devices such as laptops, digital cameras, video cameras and even mp3 players for enhanced audio-visual output via the flat screen LCD television. This technological feature allows functions such as music to be played via the surround sound system, movies and images from electronic devices to be displayed on the television. For guests� convenience, the cable wires are available for purchase from the hotel.

The hotel concurrently upgraded the existing wired and wireless Internet connectivity available throughout the hotel during the refurbishment to enhance the quality of connectivity for guests.   Additionally, 38 suites in the hotel have been fitted with Bose Home Entertainment Systems (3�2�1 GS Series II) with radio, CD and DVD functions. Guests can enjoy home theatre sound delivered via two advanced Gemstone® speakers and the Acoustimass® module. 

The finishing touch is the electronic remote-controlled Roman drapes and sun filters framing the full-length window views of the city or harbour. A whimsical and unusual touch; guests can use a single easy-to-use controller to manipulate the drapes. The rooms� lights, air conditioning system, bedside clock functions can be controlled via an all-in-one bedside table panel. 

These technological introductions echo the launch of the hotel�s Executive Centre on level 22 in 2005. The first hotel business centre to encompass an entire floor, the round-the-clock Business Concierge avails a complete suite of business and secretarial facilities and services to travellers while providing a range of electronic devices and complements available for purchase or rent.

Design Aesthetic

Boutique interior design firm, FBEYE International was commissioned to custom-tailor the new design aesthetic for the rooms and suites. Based in Singapore, the firm is also responsible for designing the hotel�s restaurant, Global Kitchen in 2006. Their client list includes international hotel groups such as Starwood, Shangri-la, Taj and Hyatt Hotels, private residences worldwide and even yachts. 
The agency was briefed to create an original and contemporary design theme balancing form and function while ensuring that each room or suite category remains a distinct entity. The result is a neutral and soothing colour scheme combined with seamless yet functional interior finishing that complement the overall design scheme. A majority of the new furniture was custom-designed with fabrics sourced from worldwide.

Says FBEYE Managing Director, Warren Foster-Brown, �The design scheme was created with contemporary home-from-home luxury in mind. As Pan Pacific Singapore is a large hotel, we anticipated evolving guest demographics. The rooms and suites were developed with fluidity in mind � in order that guests could utilise the space in many ways for private discussions, to work from, entertain within or simply to rest.�

About UOL Group

The UOL Group, including its listed subsidiary Hotel Plaza Limited, owns 14 hotels located in Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Australia and the People's Republic of China. This hotel portfolio, comprising over 4600 rooms, is currently managed by the Group's Parkroyal, as well as by international hotel operators under brands such as "Sheraton", "Crowne Plaza", "Sofitel" and "Novotel". 

About Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts

Headquartered in Singapore, Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts is a leading hotel management company in the Pacific Rim region and is part of the UOL Group, one of Singapore�s largest hotel and property companies. Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts has been recognised by Conde Nast Traveler magazine as one of the 25 hotel companies demonstrating social responsibility and has won highly esteemed accolades such as World Travel Awards, Best Business Hotel in Asia, Conde Nast Gold List and Readers Choice Awards. It has a portfolio of 13 hotels and resorts throughout Asia, the Pacific and North America and offices in San Francisco, London, Singapore, Hong Kong and Tokyo. Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts is a founding member of the Global Hotel Alliance. 

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Contact:

Molly Blaisdell
(925) 631-7971
[email protected]
panpacific.com

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Also See: UOL Group Limited Acquires the Pan Pacific Hotel Brand from Tokyu Corporation / July 2007
Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts Invests Close to $1 million in E-commerce and Distribution Infrastructure and the Resources to Deliver E-initiatives / March 2007
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