Hong Kong � October 6, 2010 - Finalists have been announced for the Merger & Acquisition Deal of the Year and Reggie Shiu Development of the Year Awards, to be presented at the 21st annual Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP), scheduled for 13-15 October 2010, at the InterContinental Hong Kong.  HICAP is hosted by BHN, Horwath HTL, and Stiles Capital Events.

Finalists for the HICAP Merger & Acquisition Deal of the Year Award are:

Four Points by Sheraton, Sydney - Singapore's Michael Kum acquired Australia's largest and one of its most strategically located hotels - the 630-room Four Points by Sheraton at Darling Harbour from GPT Group for a reported AD185 million.  The purchase included adjacent office, retail and restaurant spaces.
 
Niseko Village Japan - Malaysia's YTL Hotels and Properties acquired the Niseko Village destination resort - inclusive of two hotels, totaling 706 rooms, two 18-hole golf courses, the adjacent ski mountain and 461 hectares of freehold land from Citigroup Principal Investments for US$66 million.
 
Ibis Singapore on Bencoolen - Michael Kum, through a local subsidiary, acquired the 538-room Ibis hotel through a private sale from LaSalle Asia Opportunity Fund II and Accor SA for an undisclosed price.

Finalists for the Reggie Shiu Development of the Year Award are:

Doubletree by Hilton, Kula Lumpur - This 540-room hotel forms the centerpiece of an intergrated mixed-use redevelopment in the heart of downtown Kuala Lumpur. The extensive US$50 million renovation of the public spaces and refurbishment of guest rooms resulted in the successful repositioning of a former sub-grade property.
 
The Upper House, Hong Kong � The 117-room hotel on top of a hotel is a redevelopment project in a prominent location, establishing Swire Hotels as a trend setter in the regional hotel industry.
 
Marina Bay Sands - The iconic 2,561 room property is part of a USD 6 billion integrated resort complex forming the focal point of Singapore's emerging Marina Bay district as a world class business, convention and leisure destination.

 
Also to be presented at HICAP are The Sustainable Hotel Awards, recognizing hotels in the Asia Pacific region demonstrating exemplary sustainable best practices. 
 
About HICAP
HICAP is Asia�s largest and longest running hotel investment event, making it the most important gathering of hotel developers, investors, lenders, operators, and other industry executives for information exchange, trend spotting, and deal making.   Approximately 700 delegates attended the 20th annual HICAP held in October 2009 in Hong Kong.
 
About BHN
BHN is the worldwide leader in developing and organizing conferences for the hotel and tourism investment community.  With more than two decades of experience, over 80 events completed or in production to-date, and more than 60,000 international delegates, BHN conferences have become �must attend� events for industry leaders who come together to network, conduct business and to learn about the latest trends.  BHN events include: the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) in San Diego; the ALIS Summer Update in Los Angeles; the Central America Tourism & Hotel Investment Exchange (CATHIE) held in El Salvador in 2010; the Caribbean Hotel & Resort Investment Summit (CHRIS) in Miami; the Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP) in Hong Kong; HICAP Update Southeast Asia in Singapore; HICAP Update Japan in Tokyo; the Hotel Investment Forum India (HIFI) in Mumbai; and the new Hotel Opportunities Latin America (HOLA) conference in Miami. The BHN website at www.Burba.com is the gateway for information about the conferences BHN produces, as well as a direct link to important players in the hospitality investment world.
 
About Horwath HTL
Horwath HTL is the world's largest hotel industry specialized consulting organization, currently with 48 offices in 37 countries.  Since the set-up of Asia Pacific operations in 1987, Horwath HTL has been involved with over 2,000 projects throughout the region in all phases of the property lifecycle for clients ranging from individually owned businesses to the world's most prominent hotel companies, developers, lenders, investors and industrial corporations.  Horwath HTL currently operates out of regional offices in Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai, Sydney and Auckland.
 
About SCE
Stiles Capital Events (SCE) has provided event management, communications and marketing in the publishing, entertainment and hospitality industries since 1990. The SCE team has been associated with the development and organization of the Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP) since its inception and the subsequent launches of HICAP Update Japan and HICAP Update Southeast Asia. SCE is based in the San Francisco Bay Area.