Shangri-La Opens In Tokyo And Boracay

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Asia Pacific’s leading luxury hotel group, opened two new hotels on 2 March 2009, bringing the total number of hotels in the strong network to 62. The two new hotels are Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo and Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort and Spa, Philippines.

Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo occupies the top 11 floors of Marunouchi Trust Tower Main, a 37-floor, mixed-use building adjacent to Tokyo Station, and offers views of Marunouchi to the east and Tokyo Bay to the west. The 202-room hotel contains two restaurants – Piacere, a signature Italian restaurant, and Nadaman, an authentic Japanese restaurant – as well as the Lobby Lounge offering afternoon tea and live entertainment. CHI, The Spa at Shangri-La, the group’s own award-winning spa brand developed from ancient Chinese and Himalayan healing therapies, makes its Japanese debut. The hotel also features meeting rooms and banquet facilities, wedding facilities complete with a chapel, a health club, an indoor swimming pool and the Horizon Club lounge, which offers an elevated level of service. Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo is also home to over 2,000 pieces of artwork and more than 50 distinct chandeliers handmade in the Czech Republic by Lasvit, a world-renowned light design and manufacturing company. In homage to the city of Tokyo, glass carved into the shape of ginkgo leaves – the symbol of Tokyo – decorates various chandeliers throughout the hotel. In addition, a 10-metre long chandelier illuminates a grand staircase connecting Levels 27, 28 and 29.

The hotel’s interior is designed by Hirsh Bedner Associates, based in Santa Monica, California, while the Horizon Club lounge, Piacere and Nadaman are designed by Andre Fu of AFSO, a Hong Kong-based design studio. Shangri-La’s unique brand is exemplified through a grand staircase, elegant chandeliers and bold carpets, complemented with a distinct Japanese influence. In addition, flower arrangements by Nicolai Bergmann, one of the most celebrated foreign artists in Japan renowned for his contemporary floral designs, feature prominently within the hotel. Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo is the first hotel in the world to feature Bergmann’s works in all areas of the hotel, from public areas and guestrooms to wedding facilities.

Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort and Spa, Philippines also opened on the same day. The first five-star international resort on Boracay Island, Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort and Spa brings new dimensions in luxury and leisure to the tropical destination. The 219- room resort features 36 villas and suites. Located in the northern part of Boracay Island, the resort’s secluded setting includes 350 metres of pristine beachfront and 12 hectares of grounds that are home to a number of interesting and rare wildlife species.

The resort is designed by renowned Hawaii-based architect firm, WATG, and the interior by Singapore-based LTW Design Works. The spacious guestrooms and villas, all finely furnished and finished with ethnic Filipino decor and native materials. Each room connects to a balcony where guests can relax and take in panoramic views of the world-famous beach. Villas include private lap pool, outdoor shower, a pergola for outdoor dining, and a day bed for relaxation or massage.

The resort features a wide range of dining facilities, including Rima, an intimate fine dining restaurant on a hilltop offering sweeping views of the ocean and forest, serving authentic northern Italian cuisine beneath the stars. The seafood restaurant, Sirena, offers fresh favourites from a cliff top overlooking the sea while the Solana Sunset Bar becomes the hub of activity after dark, where guests can lounge in cabanas and mingle over cocktails to the hypnotic music.

Guests looking to soothe their travel-weary senses can find their sanctuary in CHI, the spa at Shangri-La, a 6,000-square-metre spa village that is due to open later in March 2009.

The resort is situated within a peaceful nature reserve with 75 species of plants on the ravines, cliffs and seashore. Other recreational facilities include a health club, one of the country’s largest free-form swimming pools, a marine centre, a water sports pavilion and two outdoor tennis courts and an entertainment zone for adults and children alike. The resort also provides meeting and banqueting facilities including an outdoor, oceanfront wedding pavilion, which is an ideal venue for weddings and special events.

“We are forging ahead with an aggressive expansion plan, and we have one single vision, which is to lift Shangri-La to a global level. The two new openings complement our 60-strong network of hotels, reinforcing our commitment to building a global luxury-hotel brand,” said Madhu Rao, managing director and chief executive officer of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts.

About Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts
Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Asia Pacific’s leading luxury hotel group, currently owns and/or manages 62 hotels under the deluxe Shangri-La and mid-market Traders brands, with a rooms inventory of over 28,000. The group has over 50 projects under development in Austria, Canada, mainland China, France, India, Macau, Maldives, Philippines, Qatar, Seychelles, Thailand, United Kingdom and the United States. For more information and reservations, please contact a travel professional or access the website at www.shangri-la.com.

For digitised pictures of the group’s hotels, please go to http://www.shangri- la.com/imagelibrary.