HPL Hotels & Resorts Appoints Andrew J. Drummond as the General Manager of Kandooma - Maldives, a 160 Villa Resort Occupying an Island in the South Male Atoll / November 2007

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HPL Hotels & Resorts Appoints Andrew J. Drummond as the General Manager
of Kandooma - Maldives, a 160 Villa Resort Occupying an Island
in the South Male Atoll

7th November 2007, Singapore � HPL Hotels & Resorts today announces the appointment of Andrew J. Drummond as the General Manager of Kandooma ~ Maldives, which is scheduled to open its doors in mid 2008.

Andrew, an Australian national, is now based on Kandooma Island, located in South Male Atoll in the Maldives, overseeing the pre-opening preparations of the resort.

Andrew was most recently the General Manager of another HPL Hotels & Resorts beach property, Casa Del Mar Langkawi in Malaysia. The resort has been frequently voted the number one hotel in Langkawi on Trip Advisor, for its attentive and yet unobtrusive service.

In his 28-year hospitality career, Andrew has held various senior positions in Australia, including Assistant General Manager with Mansion Hotel in Melbourne, General Manager at Stables Resort, Perisher Valley, and Deputy General Manager with the Observatory Hotel in Sydney. With a diverse hospitality background � from working in beach resorts to city hotels to ski resorts � Andrew�s experience is one that complements the unique holiday concept HPL Hotels & Resorts aims to infuse into its newest property.

With the backing of a capable team, Andrew is planning to put his years of accumulated skills to good use in creating an innovative and personalized guest experience in the island paradise setting of Kandooma. The resort proposes to offer unique services and facilities that are intended to satisfy, engage, entertain, inform, educate and luxuriate.

Andrew is trying to learn the guitar, an endeavour he hopes will be more successful than his attempts to learn to surf. He lives by the motto that �it is better to regret things that you have done than not having tried at all�.

Scheduled to be completed in the first quarter of 2008, Kandooma Beach Resort will be the fourth HPL-owned property in the Maldives; and the second that is managed by HPL Hotels & Resorts, after Rihiveli Beach Resort, which the company has been managing since 2004.

Occupying an island in the South Male Atoll, the resort will have a total of 160 garden and beach villas, duplex villas and water villas, including a Royal Water Villa. Accommodation will be fresh and contemporary in appearance, with clean lines and minimal clutter, while retaining the warmth of natural wood finishes.

Recreational facilities on the island will include several restaurants and bars, a spa and gym, a swimming pool with Jacuzzi, a books-music-movies library, a football field, a retail shop, Internet stations, a diving school and seaports centre.

�Having been in the Maldives for several years now, we have acquired a rather good understanding of the Maldivian market and have noticed an unfilled demand for the provision of an affordable, contemporary luxury experience without going overboard on expensive services that may go unnoticed,� said Ms Karen Chan, Marketing Communications Manager for HPL Hotels & Resorts.

Ms Chan also added that the resort will be conceptualised to provide its guests with an experience that seeks to make the guest holiday uniquely Maldivian, focussing on the delivery and enhancement of the natural beauty of the environment: �We see our market as wanting to come away richer, not only in relaxation and rest, but also in knowledge and experience.�

Located in the southern part of the Maldives, Kandooma Island is situated about 35km away from Male International Airport and can be reached via speedboat within half an hour. Rihiveli Beach Resort, which features 48 individual thatched-roof bungalows is about 15 minutes away from Kandooma Island.

Headquartered in Singapore, HPL Hotels & Resorts is a hospitality management company, operated and wholly owned by Singapore main-board listed, Hotel Properties Limited (HPL). The HPL Group has interests in 22 properties in 8 countries with over 4,900 rooms.

Construction work on the resort is progressing according to schedule. For a sneak preview into this unique holiday experience, visit www.kandooma-maldives.com.

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Contact:

Karen Chan
Marketing Communications Manager
Tel: (65) 6735 2811
Email: [email protected]

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Also See:

Francois Malric Named Operations Manager of Rihiveli Beach Resort in the Maldives / September 2007

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