CHINA: Futian Shangri-La Hotel, Shenzhen

VIETNAM: InterContinental Comes to Vietnam

AUSTRALIA: Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre Expands

AUSTRALIA: Sydney and New South Wales Event Planners Guide

AUSTRALIA: Brisbane Marriott’s New Executive Lounge

Sydney to New York on Air Tahiti Nui

Cathay Pacific Adds to India Service

There is big news in Brisbane. The Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre is about to begin a $130M major expansion project. Business tourism there is at an all time high and the expansion will allow the Centre to meet the high demand for event space from both domestic and international clients. The Brisbane Marriott has also completed an extensive renovation and has a newly remodeled Executive Lounge. Information on the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre and the Brisbane Marriott follows.

In China, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts is opening a new meeting hotel in Shenzhen, close to Hong Kong. The property’s location and facilities make it ideal for meetings and incentive travel programs.

You and your program attendees can breathe easier in Thailand. On 11 February, the country’s no-smoking laws became more stringent. The national ban on smoking in public areas now includes pubs, restaurants, discos and market places, both open-air and air-conditioned. Prior no-smoking regulations applied only to public buildings and closed air-conditioned areas.

Until next time
Best

Helena Miele, CITE
Editor E-Newsletters

The 5-Star Futian Shangri-La Hotel Shenzhen will open in the second quarter of this year. The new property is located in the business district of Shenzhen just a few minutes walk to the railway system that links directly to the border crossing to Hong Kong.
The 40-storey hotel is comprised of 548 large-sized guest rooms and 53 serviced apartments. Meeting and banqueting space includes a 1,800 sqm (19,375 sqft) grand ballroom with a high ceiling and a hydraulic built-in stage, as well as direct access to a large lift that makes the ballroom ideal for car launches and similar events. Event space also includes an auditorium, junior ballroom, boardroom and 8 function rooms. A team of event specialists is on site and video-conferencing and simultaneous translation services are available. Plus, the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Centre and the city’s Civic Centre are adjacent to the hotel. Food and beverage venues include an all-day dining restaurant featuring Hong Kong and local cuisine. There is also an Italian restaurant, Chinese restaurant and a lobby lounge. The health club and spa offers signature body treatments and gym, indoor swimming pool and tennis court.
The hotel is easily accessible from the Shenzhen International Bao’an Airport, the Shekou ferry terminal and the city’s major tourist attractions.
Website: www.shangri-la.com

The InterContinental Hotels Group officially opened the InterContinental Hanoi Westlake on 6 March. (The soft opening took place in December.) The property, located on the waterfront on the shores of West Lake, is ten minutes from Hanoi. The prominent Westlake area, locally known as Tay Ho, was the home of Vietnam’s Ly and Tran royalty and the summer home of the Mandarins. The multi-lingual staff speaks Chinese, English, French, German, Italian and Korean.
The Westlake’s 359 spacious rooms and 19 suites have balconies overlooking the lake, the city, or the hotel’s tropical gardens. Room décor features Vietnamese contemporary style. All guest rooms feature LCD TVs and Internet access and bathrooms are outfitted with double-basin vanities, deep-soaking bathtubs and a separate walk-in rain showers. Suites receive butler service and are outfitted with Bose entertainment systems.
Event facilities include a Grand Ballroom that can accommodate 400 attendees and 3 meeting rooms accommodating from 16 to 70 attendees. Event rooms are outfitted with Internet connection and AV capabilities that includes video-conferencing and projection. Dining options include the hotel’s signature restaurant, the Milan-Saigon, which features glass-encased show kitchens and private dining rooms and serves both Italian and pan-Asian cuisine. The brasserie, Café du Lac, overlooks the lake and the Sunset Bar is situated on its own island in the lake.
A 14 km/8.7 mile footpath that circumnavigates the lake is currently under construction. Walkers on the path will see storied pagodas of Tran Quoc and Kim Lien and go by the flower villages of Tay Ho and Nghi Tam. The Kim Lien (Golden Lotus) Pagoda built in the 17th Century is right next door to the hotel. The International Convention Center is less than 2 miles/3.2 km from the hotel and getting to the international airport is a 40-minute drive.
Website: www.intercontinental.com

The Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre will undergo a $130 million expansion with the building of a new center on the land adjacent to the existing Centre. The expansion design will incorporate 5 levels of boutique convention and event space and will include a gross floor area of 24,000 sqm (258,334 sqft), 2 state-of-the-art tiered auditoria designed specifically for smaller meetings, 19 meeting rooms and a new ballroom with an extensive outdoor terrace.
When the expanded center opens in mid 2010, the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre will have 3 stand alone Plenary Halls covering meetings from 400 to 8,000, 2 ballrooms with extensive outdoor terrace areas, 3 Speakers’ Presentation Centers, 6 Executive Boardrooms and Australia’s first tasting room. The Centre will have a total gross floor area of 171,650 sqm (1,847,625 sqft), 42 meeting rooms and 20,000 sqm (215,278 sqft) of dedicated exhibition space.
Brisbane Convention Centre General Manager, Robert O’Keeffe said, “Brisbane is experiencing a period of record growth with a 28% increase in business tourism nights according to the most recent national visitor’s survey. The Centre’s forward booking levels are at an all time high …The new development will provide us with the infrastructure to host more than 250 additional new events each year.”
Website: www.bcec.com.au

The 5-Star Brisbane Marriott just unveiled a completely re-modeled Executive Lounge on the hotel’s 26th floor, the last part of a multi-million-dollar refurbishment. In addition to new furnishings and window treatments, the new Executive Lounge features a larger buffet and dining area, high definition television and a boardroom that seats 8. The Lounge,exclusive to guests staying on the hotel’s Executive Levels (24-28) serves complementary breakfast, evening canapés and dessert buffet daily. The 276-room Brisbane Marriott is a non-smoking hotel. Meeting facilities include 720 sqm (7,750 sqft) of flexible meeting space with natural light, river views and a business center. There are 9 function rooms including a grand ballroom that accommodates 250 attendees. Petries Brasserie and the Petries Bar are the in-house dining options and a huge assortment of riverside restaurants is right outside the hotel. Additional hotel facilities include the award-winning Dome Retreat Spa and health club and a lobby lounge.
Website: www.marriott.com
Contact: mhrs.bnedt.sales@marriotthotels.com

Cathay Pacific is launching service to Chennai, India and adding frequencies to existing services to Delhi and Melbourne. Chennai service launches on 1st June with four flights weekly from Hong Kong to Chennai.
Cathay Pacific also added with three flights per week to both the Mumbai and Delhi routes. Now, both the Hong Kong/Mumbai service and the Hong Kong/Delhi service are at daily frequencies. On 30 March, the airline will add another three flights to the Hong Kong/Mumbai route bringing the number of frequencies up to 10 weekly and Cathay will add another seven flights to the Hong Kong/Delhi route making it a daily double service. Furthermore, Cathay’s sister airline, Dragonair will commence daily Hong Kong/Bangalore service on 1st May.
Website: www.cathaypacific.com