Asia Pacific Newsletter April 2007 Edition                    

The Kuala Lumpur Convention Center (KLCC) and the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre (SCEC) were accredited with Green Globe Benchmark Convention Centre status.

The KLCC, which opened in June 2005, is comprised of two auditoria respectively seating 3,000 and 500 delegates, 9,710 sqm (104518 sqft) of exhibition halls, a Grand Ballroom that seats 2,000, a Banquet Hall seating 500, a Conference Hall accommodating 1,800 and 20 meeting rooms. Initiatives implemented at the KLCC include taking maximum advantage of the Centre’s natural light (courtesy of its intelligent building design), keeping up with energy-saving technology and pushing the 3R (Reduce, Re-use and Recycle) campaign that encourages Centre staff and visitors to separate their rubbish into recycle bins located around the Centre. On achieving this status, Mr Geoff Hayward, Director of Facilities, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre says: It is really quite a coup and we are extremely proud to be the first Asian convention centre to be recognized for operating with these environmental performance standards.  This is certainly in line with our goal to establish the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre as not only a world-class international venue, but a leader in the local community working towards more environmentally sound operating processes.

The Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre has six exhibition halls and more than 30,000 sqm (322,920 sqft) of exhibition space. The Centre is also renown for its on site and award-winning catering for events taking place  there.

The Centre has increased the amount it recycles from 10% to 76% in the last four years. The SCEC’s Ecowise committee worked closely within the venue and with customers to reduce waste from conventions and exhibitions and save energy. Improvements made through the Centre’s WRAPP Policy (Waste Reduction and Purchasing Policy) include placing recycling bins throughout the centre, educating employees and clients on recycling waste, encouraging suppliers to provide goods in recyclable packaging, using energy-saving foyer lighting an intelligent control system in the Convention Centre and installing water meters to monitor and control water usage, and touch-sensor taps and waterless urinals in Centre restrooms. Centre Chief Executive Ton van Amerongen said The Green Globe benchmark accreditation is further testimony to the direction we have taken, and will continue to take, in the interests of the environment.

Web sites:

KLCC: http://www.klcc.com.my

SCEC: http://www.scec.com.au

Green Globe: http://www.greenglobe.org

The Loong Palace Hotel & Resort in northern Beijing added a new wing with 350 guest rooms, two new ballrooms, and state-of-the–art meeting facilities.  The 5-Star property’s expansion brings the total number of guest rooms in the hotel to 950. Meeting facilities consist of 14 rooms accommodating from 12 to 1,200 delegates. Services include a business center, secretarial service and interpreter and translation services. The property also has seven restaurants, two bars and a new spa.

The Miyako Tokyo Hotel and Miyako Osaka Hotel were re-branded as Sheraton properties. The Sheraton Miyako Hotel Tokyo and The Sheraton Miyako Hotel Osaka opened this month after each property was renovated.

The Sheraton Miyako Hotel, Tokyo, located in Shirokane area of the city, has 492 guest rooms. Renovations to the property included upgrades to the guest rooms and the health club. The property has 9,800 sf (910 sm) of meeting space and five restaurants.

The Sheraton Miyako Hotel, Osaka, located in Uehonmachi area of Osaka, has 575 guest rooms. The hotel is situated adjacent to the Kintetsu Railway Uehonmacki Terminal and is close to the central business district and Osaka’s cultural attractions. Renovations to the hotel included guest rooms and meeting facilities. The property has 1,300 sf (121 sm) of meeting space, a health club and seven restaurants.

Rydges Hotels and Resorts acquired the former Avilion Hotel located in Sydney’s World Square and re-branded it a Rydges property. The hotel, located at Pitt and Liverpool Streets in Sydney has 445 guest rooms situated in two towers. Meeting facilities include four event rooms accommodating from 15 to 300 delegates. And additional facilities include Avery’s Restaurant and Avery’s Bar and a fitness center.

The 5-Star Regal International East Asia Hotel Shanghai recently completed a USD$3million renovation of its Ballroom and Meeting & Conference Centre. The 330-room property is located on Heng Shan Road in the diplomatic district close to the shopping and business areas on Juai Hai and Nanjing Road.

Its newly renovated pillarless ballroom accommodates 600 attendees and has a pre-function area, which overlooks the hotel’s grand marble lobby. The adjacent Conference Centre has 12 multi function rooms, most with windows, that accommodate from 8 to 100 attendees. Additional facilities include four restaurants and the lobby lounge, indoor and outdoor health and recreation amenities including 9 tennis courts

E-mail: rieah@regal-eastasia.com

Cruises are growing in the Asia Pacific. A new web site, CruiseAsean.com, has been created. The site gives detailed information on ports of call in Asia. And in addition to port specific information, CruiseAsean offers destination information on Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam – making it a very good resource.

The Asia Pacific region currently has a 5% share of the world’s cruise market and that share is expected to grow by 40% between 2005 and 2010.