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Hotels around the world don't come much better than those in Asia's five-star bracket. And the hotels that win in the Best Business Hotel in Asia Award are at the top of a very impressive crop. The service and infrastructure of Asia's leading hotels is well known -- and that reputation is further being enhanced as the hotels serve business travellers in the era of the internet.
Business Asia profiles the deserving winners in the 2000 awards.
OVERALL BEST BUSINESS HOTEL IN ASIA & BEST BUSINESS HOTEL IN SINGAPORE
Winner: The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore
The news
The accolades are stacking up for the Ritz-Carlton Millenia, which repeats last year's two-pronged win in the 2000 Best Business Hotels in Asia Awards by winning the overall and Singapore categories.
General manager Nicholas Clayton makes no qualms about aiming to make the Millenia one of the world's great hotels -- and perhaps he is already approaching his goal.
Hotel IQ, a division of Singapore-based travel content provider Worldmine, recently ranked The Ritz-Carlton the top hotel in Singapore, praising its features ranging from in-room entertainment and business facilities to bathroom amenities.
And the hotel has also won rave notice from Conde Nast Traveller for the luxury of its rooms and the quality of its service.
What's so good about the Millenia? Well, guests can sit in their bathtub, a drink in one hand, and enjoy stunning views that take in the sea or bay. And business travellers have a 24-hour technology butler on call to help with IT problems.
Service is the key for Clayton. A story is increasingly doing the rounds about the hotel's employee who made a departing guest's day by jumping into a cab and dashing out to Changi airport to hand over the traveller's missing dentures -- just before the flight took off.
It's hard to beat that.
The hotel
Corporate guests have long been a focus for the Ritz-Carlton Millenia, with special services including "in-residence" business cards and stationery, a full-service business centre with secretaries, fax machines in suites, and private meeting rooms for rent. All 608 of the hotel's rooms, 19 one-bedroom suites and three two-bedroom suites have large marble bathrooms.
OTHER FINALIST
(Singapore category)
Conrad International Centennial
Four Seasons Hotel Singapore
Grand Hyatt Singapore
JW Marriot Singapore
Raffles Hotel
Shangri-La Hotel Singapore
BEST BUSINESS HOTEL IN AUSTRALIA
Winner: Park Hyatt Sydney
The news
The Park Hyatt takes the gold medal this year in the Olympic City.
A haunt of rock stars and regarded as one of Australia's premier property addresses, the Park Hyatt is now wiring up its executive guest rooms.
The hotel is pumping large amounts of capital into e-business technology. Guests have internet access in all rooms via a large-screen television and cordless infra-red keyboard. The hotel also offers personal e-mail addresses that can be maintained on guest histories so they can be used on future visits.
The system lets guests plug their laptops into a permanent broadband link to the internet, bypassing the hotel's telephone system. The hotel supplies installation software.
The hotel
With its spot at the edge of Sydney Harbour, the Park Hyatt Sydney offers business travellers impressive views of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, plus close access to the city's business centre. This small boutique hotel has 158 rooms, all of which feature two direct-dial telephone lines, a personal voice mail message service, internet access televisions and CD players. Other guest services include wardrobe storage, a 24-hour butler service, in-room safety deposit boxes, spa, gym and a comprehensive business centre.
Meetings and banquets are catered for, with all meeting rooms equipped with state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment.
OTHER FINALISTS
ANA Hotel Sydney
Grand Hyatt Melbourne
Hotel Sofitel, Melbourne
Hyatt Regency Adelaide
Sheraton on the Park Sydney
The Regent Sydney
BEST BUSINESS HOTEL IN HONG KONG
Winner: JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong
The news
Corporate hotels in Hong Kong -- including the JW Marriott Hotel- have been buoyed by Asia's rebounding economies and increased occupancy rates. The Marriott has, in general, adjusted room rates upwards in an overdue move to reflect market forces. Marriott International area director of sales and marketing China, Daniel Lai, said recently there was "a tendency to raise prices" in the hotel sector in Hong Kong. However, he was quick to note that previously negotiated deals with corporate travellers remained.
The hotel
The Marriott is based in the CBD and has great views of Victoria Harbour or The Peak. The hotel has 601 guestrooms and a well-equipped business centre and health club and a heated outdoor swimming pool. The hotel is adjacent to The Mall, a sophisticated shopping environment with access to the Admiralty MTR Station. Marriott International, in conjunction with China Southern Airlines, has extended its highly successful "Instant Upgrade" program, which will now be in effect through the end of calendar year 2000. All China Southern Airlines' passengers worldwide, paying corporate rates, will get a room upgrade, food and beverage discounts and a 4pm check-out.
OTHER FINALISTS
Conrad International Hong Kong
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong
Island Shangri-La
Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong
Peninsula Hong Kong
The Regent Hong Kong
BEST BUSINESS HOTEL IN CHINA
Winner: The Portman Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai
The news
A US$30 million renovation, increased demand for rooms -- and now this win -- has The Portman Ritz-Carlton Shanghai in good spirits at the dawn on the new century. How appropriate given that many people believe the 21st Century will "belong" to China. The Ritz-Carlton's director of sales and marketing, Andrew Nasskau, said recently the hotel had been offering prices below market rate, but a 6 per cent rise in demand over last year indicates the market is strengthening. Demand is forecast to jump 7 per cent next year. The Portman is targeting business travelers with out-of-the-ordinary service, including a novel campaign to meet and greet guests even before they pass through immigration at the airport.
The hotel
The Portman has repeated last year's win as the best business hotel in China. Located in the Shanghai Centre Complex, the hotel is in the heart of the city's business district and features 564 spacious rooms.
Each room has three telephones (with one in the bathroom), voice mail, data ports, in-room safe and individual temperature controls.
The Ritz-Carlton Club, located on the top four floors, offers corporate guests higher levels of services, including personalised check in/check out, butler service and daily beverage presentations.
OTHER FINALISTS
China World Hotel, Beijing
Okura Garden Hotel Shanghai
The Palace Hotel, Beijing
Pudong Shangri-La, Shanghai
The St Regis Beijing
BEST BUSINESS HOTEL IN INDIA
Winner: Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai
The news
Leading hotels throughout India are undertaking programs to ensure they compete with the best hotels in the world -- and the scheme is surely working for the Taj Mahal Hotel. The hotel is refocussing its attentions on service and food quality, a mix that has helped the hotel to claim the India category award for the second year running. But the Taj is also putting on a bright face for guests. It has started renovations to the already luxuriously appointed hotel.
The hotel
The flagship of The Taj group of hotels, the Taj Mahal is located just minutes away from the city's commercial and shopping hub, and 32km from the airport. Built in 1903, the 582-room Taj Mahal Hotel is a landmark on the waterfront. Its 24-hour business centre spans the entire first floor of the hotel's west wing and features secretarial services, a courier, independent computer workstations and internet access. The hotel's corporate meeting rooms are ideal for business travellers.
OTHER FINALISTS
The Oberoi Grand, Calcutta
The Oberoi Towers, Mumbai
The Regent, Mumbai
Taj Palace Hotel, New Delhi
Welcomgroup Park Sheraton Hotel
and Towers
BEST BUSINESS HOTEL IN INDONESIA
Winner: Grand Hyatt Jakarta
The news
Leading politicians and superstars such as boxing great Mohammad Ali have stayed at the Grand Hyatt Jakarta over the years -- and it is the job of concierge Ferry Irwan, 33, to look after them. Now nine years into the job, he remembers Ali as a "very big guy" and "I copied something from a cassette to a compact disc for him". It's all part of the service that has seen the Hyatt pip last year's winner, the ShangriLa. Irwan told the Jakarta Post recently: "I'm always thinking about things I have to do for guests when I wake up ... Everything they want I have to get -- within the rules of course. It can be taxing sometimes. Most of them are businesspeople from abroad." His work is obviously appreciated: Irwan's biggest tip so far is 6 million rupiah (about US$700).
On top of great business services, the Grand Hyatt Jakarta also gives its visitors a rich shopping experience thanks to its location adjacent to one of Indonesia's premier shopping centres, the Plaza Indonesia.
The hotel has 447 rooms, 37 apartments and suites. All rooms have a separate dressing room, an electronic safe, satellite television and direct-dial telephones.
For those wanting a higher level of service, the Regency Club, which takes the top six floors of the hotel, provides complimentary breakfasts and evening cocktails, games tables and a concierge.
Its business centre has secretarial, photocopying and translation services, plus a library.
OTHER FINALISTS
Mandarin Oriental Jakarta
Regent Jakarta
Shangri-La Jakarta
The Western Surabaya
BEST BUSINESS HOTEL IN MALAYSIA
Winner: The Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur
The news
Fans of Chinese cuisine and Dom Perignon champagne have been in their element recently at the Ritz-Carlton's Li Yen restaurant in Malaysia. Chef Choi Wai Ki combined the complex flavours of Chinese cuisine with Cuvee Dom Perignon 1964, 1976 and 1980 into the Triple Dragon Dinner promotion. The seven-course set menu was part of a promotion to entice guests to the hotel. Such promotions seem to be working: Business Asia readers and Bloomberg viewers nave given me Ritz-Carlton three straight wins in the Malaysia category: not bad for a hotel that is just approaching its third birthday.
The hotel
Situated in the heart of the city's Golden Triangle, the Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur is a small boutique hotel that offers its guests luxurious, yet intimate, surroundings. The hotel has 248 rooms and 29 suites. For those wanting a higher level of service, the Ritz-Carlton Club is available. Taking up the top four floors, the club is only accessible with a special elevator key and provides 24-hour access to a concierge and the Club Lounge, plus complimentary meals.
Other business services include 24-hour secretarial services, a technology butler, express check-in/check-out and an airport shuttle service.
OTHER FINALISTS
JW Marriott Hotel, Kuala Lumpur
The Regent Kuala Lumpur
Renaissance Kuala Lumpur
Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur
Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur
The Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur
BEST BUSINESS HOTEL IB JAPAN
Winner: Imperial Hotel, Tokyo
The news
A surge in the number of foreign guests staying in Japanese hotels has pushed up occupancy rates at leading hotels and bolstered their bottom lines. At the Imperial Hotel in central Tokyo, the occupancy rate rose last September for the first time in six months: up to 80 per cent and a two-point jump on the year before. The hotel has noted that new guests include a growing number of operators of internet-related businesses. Perhaps business travellers at the Imperial are also yearning for the hotel's renowned food, including the pungent, green wasabi dish.
The hotel
Founded in 1890 under the orders of the then Imperial Government, the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo, has as rich and colourful a history as modern Tokyo.
For many decades the Imperial was the only European-style hotel in the city. Its rooms now feature writing desks, three telephones, fax, guestroom bar and a private safe.
Corporate travellers are well catered for at the hotel, with its executive services taking up an entire floor of the main building. Services on offer include secretarial support, translations, interpreter arrangements, individual work stations, computers, bi-lingual business card printing services and a salon designed for high-level talks and media interviews.
OTHER FINALISTS
Hotel Inter-Continental Tokyo Bay
Hotel Okura Tokyo
Park Hyatt Tokyo
The Westin Tokyo
Hilton Tokyo
UPDATE: THAILAND
PHUKET WAS a star performer in the Asian hotel marketplace, recording a strong operating performance in 1999.
Four- and five-star segments achieved occupancy levels above 70 per cent during 1999.
Revenue per available room growth in the four- to five-star segment showed a 23.4 per cent rise from US$57 in 1997 to US$70 in 1998, despite a 31.9 per cent devaluation of the Thai baht against the US dollar in 1998.
High occupancies and room rates have combined to lift operating margins to well over 50 per cent in many cases. This has attracted local and international groups to seriously consider site acquisitions in Phuket and Koh Samui.
Hotel supply has remained stable for around five years, while during that time room nights demanded has increased, with four- to five-star hotels achieving occupancy levels of 74.9 per cent in 1999.
SOURCE: JONES LANG LASALLE HOTELS DIGEST - ASIA.
UPDATE: MALAYSIA
LEISURE AND corporate demand in Kuala Lumpur dropped due to the economic crisis, but demand is likely to recover as major source markets such as Thailand and Japan continue to improve economically.
The completion of the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) and the restoration of business activity is likely to improve demand.
The five-star sector recorded occupancy levels of 53.6 per cent during 1999, having experienced peak occupancy in 1995 of 78.7 per cent.
Average daily rates have fallen from a peak of US$99 in 1996 to US$48 in 1999.
SOURCE: JONES LANG LASALLE HOTELS DIGEST - ASIA. BEST BUSINESS HOTEL IN NEW ZEALAND
Winner: The George Christchurch
The news
The George is the inaugural winner of the New Zealand country division -- the category being added to the awards this year. The win continues a run of success for the hotel. Its restaurant, 50 on Park, was the overall winner of last year's Corbans Challenge, as well as taking the best service title and best hotel restaurant.
The hotel
Situated at the edge of picturesque Hagley Park, The George is a boutique hotel that offers guests individual attention in an intimate environment. The George, which is close to the Botanical Gardens, Historic Arts Centre, casino, theatre and restaurant areas, has 57 rooms spread over four floors. All rooms have direct-dial telephones, fax/modem connections and a personal safe deposit box. The hotel's latest development is The Residence, a fully restored traditional residence annexed to the hotel that has two luxury suites and a studio apartment.
OTHER FINALISTS
Parkroyal Wellington
Quay West Auckland
Carlton Hotel, Auckland
The Heritage Auckland Hotel
BEST BUSINESS HOTEL IN PHILIPPINES
Winner: Mandarin Oriental Manila
The news
A "value-added" approach to running a hotel is one of the factors behind the Mandarin Oriental Manila's country category victory. As an example, American Express has tied up with the Mandarin for a promotion in which cardholders are entitled to premium items that will automatically be given to them upon payment of the bill at the hotel. Stay-in card members who book in the hotel using the local residents' rate and with a minimum billing of 6000 pesos (US$136) will get an instant premium prize. Combinations of room and food and beverage charges are allowed. For walk-in card members, a minimum purchase of 4000 pesos at any of the participating outlets also wins prizes. The promotion runs until September 30.
The hotel
The Mandarin continues to impress corporate travelers and is a finalist in the Best Business Hotels in Asia Awards for the third successive year. The hotel's 448 guest rooms and 27 suites have luxurious marble bathrooms. Those staying at the Mandarin Oriental Club levels are given extra amenities and services, including fax machines in their rooms, complimentary meals and use of boardrooms. The hotel can cater for any event thanks to its 15 function rooms.
OTHER FINALISTS
Hotel Inter-Continental Manila
Makati Shangri-La
New World Renaissance Hotel
The Peninsula Manila
BEST BUSINESS HOTEL IN SOUTH KOREA
Winner: The Ritz-Carlton, Seoul
The news
The Ritz-Carlton Seoul steals the Korea country category this year from the Grand Hyatt Seoul -- a mighty achievement given the Hyatt's formidable reputation in Seoul. The Ritz has been extra popular in recent months courtesy of its 2000 Summer Package, which guarantees its guests maximum comfort and relaxation and the free use of facilities such as the fitness centre and pool, plus 10 per cent discount in any of the hotel's restaurants. The hotel sector seems to be on the mend in Seoul after the debilitating effects of the economic crisis -- and the Ritz is one of the industry's standouts.
The hotel
The Ritz-Carlton Seoul, situated in the busy Kangnam business district, prides itself on quality and luxury, with all of its rooms having internet access, in-room safe and impressive views of the surrounding city. Those wanting a higher level of service can opt for the exclusive Ritz-Carlton Club, which gives guests five complimentary food servings a day, access to the club suite and concierge services.
OTHER FINALISTS
Grand Hyatt Seoul
Hotel Inter-Continental Seoul
The Shilla, Seoul
The Westin Chosun
BEST HOTEL CONFERENCE FACILITIES IN ASIA & BEST BUSINESS HOTEL IN THAILAND
Winner: The Peninsula, Bangkok
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