(Taipei, Taiwan – February 11, 2011) – Regent Hotels & Resorts has announced that French hotelier Brice Borin is appointed General Manager of the group’s newly rebranded luxury resort The Regent Phuket.

Mr Borin, 44, began his hospitality career in 1984 as an apprentice chef in his home town of Lot in France.

He subsequently cooked around the world, from Louisiana in the United States to Bermuda, where he earned a Food & Beverage Management Diploma, and Sydney before arriving in Thailand in 1993, joining Novotel in Bangkok as Executive Chef.

Subsequent Executive Chef appointments were with Sofitel in Vietnam, Dusit in Koh Samui, and Le Meridien in Lithuania and Jakarta.

In 2002 he switched into hotel management, in Food & Beverage Director roles at Park Plaza in Kuala Lumpur and Evason Resort in Hua Hin, where he retains a home.

His first appointment managing a hotel was at the award winning private island Le Taha’a in French Polynesia.

He joined Anantara in 2005, initially managing a Maldives resort and subsequently transferring to the group’s property in Hua Hin. He joined Regent in 2008, as General Manager overseeing the pre-opening of The Regent, Maldives.

Married with one child, Mr Borin is a member of the French Chaine des Rôtisseurs and was a former chairman of Samui Culinary Circle, developing improved F&B standards on the island.

The Regent Phuket (www.regenthotels.com/phuket) is at Cape Panwa, on the south-eastern tip of the island. It came under the Regent branding umbrella in late 2010. A boutique-style resort, it features just 70 spacious rooms with magnificent sea views and 35 Club Suites with private pools.

Two other new Regent hotels are also opening in Asia in 2011, the Regent Bali and Regent Maldives.

The iconic Regent brand was last year acquired by Taiwanese entrepreneur Steven Pan, Chairman and CEO of Formosa International Hotels Corporation (www.grandformosa.com.tw).

Announcing bold plans to return the iconic Asian hospitality brand to its former glory, he said: “Regent was born in Asia, has strong brand recognition in Asia, and is now coming home to Asia. Our goal is simply to again be the most admired luxury hotel brand in the world.”

Born in Hong Kong in the 1970s, Regent set the benchmark for 5-star hotels worldwide and opened 17 properties in its golden years of the 1980s and 1990s, including the celebrated Regent Beverly Wilshire.

The brand was subsequently absorbed by Four Seasons and later Carlson Hospitality Group.

Now back under Asian ownership, expansion in Greater China is key to the group’s ambitious plans – with the international cities of Shanghai and Hong Kong key targets. Also on the regent radar are major ‘gateway’ cities such as New York, Los Angeles and London.