Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts to open new hotels in Chiang Mai and Chengdu

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts is to open two new deluxe hotel developments in Thailand and China.

The 250-room Shangri-La Hotel, Chiang Mai, will be the group's second hotel in Thailand and is scheduled to open mid-2006. The 580-room Shangri-La Hotel, Chengdu in the capital of China's Sichuan province will open in November 2006 and add to the group's growing presence on the Chinese mainland, where it currently operates 16 hotels and has many others under development.

The Shangri-La Hotel, Chiang Mai will position itself as a deluxe city resort with large rooms and will be a complement to the newly renovated and award winning Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok. Surrounded by lush gardens, the Shangri-La Hotel, Chiang Mai is designed by Hong Kong-based Wong & Tung International Co. The new hotel is located in the prime area of Chang Klan Road, close to the famous night market.

The hotel's spacious rooms will measure a minimum of 48 square metres with many rooms measuring 58 square metres, and offer the full array of Shangri-La facilities including four club floors and a lounge. The hotel's restaurants and bars will include an innovative western restaurant, a Thai restaurant, a pool-side restaurant, a deli, a lobby lounge, as well as a pool bar within the spectacular landscape of the hotel's gardens.

Recreational facilities will include an indoor swimming pool, outdoor free flow pool, fitness centre and tennis court. A major feature of the new property will be a 1,000 square-metre village-style spa located in the gardens. The large meeting and banqueting facilities will feature a 1,400 square-metre grand ballroom, which can accommodate up to 1,200 guests for banquets, complemented by other function rooms and break-out areas to cater to different event requirements.

The Shangri-La Hotel, Chengdu will be Shangri-La's first hotel in the Sichuan province. Overlooking the Fuhe and Nanhe rivers, most of the hotel's contemporary yet classically styled 580 rooms and 30 service apartments will have dramatic views of the rivers from their floor to ceiling windows and a minimum floor size of 42 square metres.

Facilities will include a Horizon Club occupying the top five floors and a variety of restaurants including a traditional Chinese restaurant, a rooftop Western restaurant and bar, an entertainment centre as well as a speciality restaurant, which will be positioned as a new 'dining concept' in the city. In addition, there will be a comprehensive health club and swimming pool. The meeting and banqueting facilities will be the largest in the city and include a 2,100 square-metre grand ballroom able to accommodate up to 1,750 people, a state-of-the-art auditorium, a junior ballroom and supporting break-out rooms.