Honors to be Awarded at Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific

Winners of two prestigious awards have been announced by the hosts of the upcoming Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP), scheduled for 8-10 October in Hong Kong.

HICAP founder Rob Stiles of Sonnenblick-Goldman Company announced that Ho Kwon Ping, chairman of the Banyan Tree Group will be awarded HICAP's Innovation Award for his unique contributions to the hotel investment industry.

 In addition to heading the Banyan Tree Group, Ho is chairman of the family-owned Wah Chang Group, chairman of Singapore Management University and board member of Singapore Airlines Limited. According to Stiles, The HICAP Innovation Award was voted on by a select group of Asia's hotel industry leaders who considered the innovations and achievements of a number of top hotel industry executives.

Of Ho, Stiles said, "While Mr. Ho's contributions to the industry have been many, it is for the creation of a strong,  unique Asian brand that so effectively captures the essence of the best of Asian hospitality and style that he has been voted by his peers as the second recipient of the HICAP Innovation Award."

The first HICAP Innovation Award was presented in 2002 to Barry Sternlicht, chairman and CEO of Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide for his creation and execution of the stunningly successful W Hotel brand.

Robert Hecker of Horwath Asia Pacific and co-chairman of HICAP announced that Paul Dubrule will receive the Lifetime Acheivement Award in recognition of his decades of involvement in the hospitality industry.

Dubrule is co-chairman and founder of Accor, one of the world's leading hospitality groups and co-founder of the World Travel and Tourism Council. 

Hecker stated, "Paul Dubrule was selected to receive this award for his role in the creation of what  has become a major global and multi-faceted hospitality and travel industry company, and along the way introducing several new products that have contributed to the industry's progression. His strong interest in Asia has also motivated the tremendous expansion of Accor throughout the region in a relatively short period of time."

HICAP is the preeminent hotel investment conference in the Asia Pacific region, which last year drew a sold-out contingent of Asia's top hotel industry leaders.

HICAP organizer Burba Hotel Network (BHN) expects another large turnout for this year's conference, according to BHN president Jim Burba. "Now that Asia has been declared SARS-free by the World Health Organization, we are seeing a dramatic pick-up in the number of HICAP registrations coming into our office. We may have another sell-out", Burba said.