Pan Pacific Hotels Group Enters Australia with Three Properties

Pan Pacific Hotels Group announced today that it will enter the Australian market with an initial three properties by 2011.

This marks the beginning of its presence in what will be a new growth market for the Singapore-based hotel management company, which owns and/or manages more than 30 hotels, resorts and serviced suites with over 10,000 rooms in Asia and North America under the acclaimed Pan Pacific® and PARKROYAL® brands.

The three new properties in Australia will be PARKROYAL Darling Harbour, Sydney (rebranded from Crowne Plaza Darling Harbour) andPARKROYAL Parramatta (rebranded from Crowne Plaza Parramatta) in Sydney. The third will be Pan Pacific Perth in Perth, Western Australia (rebranded from Sheraton Perth). All three hotels are owned by Pan Pacific Hotels Group.

"We are entering Australia with three great hotels," said A. Patrick Imbardelli, President and CEO of Pan Pacific Hotels Group.

""That we commence our journey in this very important new growth market with both our Pan Pacific and PARKROYAL brands is even more significant. We are delighted to be able to introduce the Pan Pacific hallmark of personalised service even as we reconnect the PARKROYAL brand with consumers, guests, and all of our stakeholders in this market and create memorable hotel experiences for each one of them.""

The 345-room PARKROYAL Darling Harbour, Sydney – which opens November 2010 - enjoys a prime location in Sydney and sits just minutes away from Darling Harbour, the Sydney Convention and Entertainment Centre, George Street, Chinatown and the Queen Victoria Building.

PARKROYAL Parramatta, which opens November 2010, boasts 196 rooms and is located in the city centre in the heart of Parramatta's trendy Church Street, a popular dining and shopping precinct on the banks of Parramatta River.

The rebranding of these two Sydney hotels marks the re-entry of the famous and respected PARKROYAL brand in Australia. The brand has its roots in Australia with the first PARKROYAL hotel in Melbourne (and named after the Royal Park opposite) opened in 1962.

Meanwhile, the 486-room Perth hotel will be rebranded Pan Pacific Perth and opens in January 2011. The hotel offers great views of the Swan River and boasts extensive meeting and banqueting facilities with 11 spacious function rooms, as well as an entire level dedicated to seven boardrooms with state-of-the-art technology.

Outside Australia, Pan Pacific Hotels Group is also looking to expand its hotel portfolio under its PARKROYAL and Pan Pacific brands in North America, Asia, Greater China and New Zealand.