MELIÁ HANOI LAUNCHES NEW FACILITIES FOR CORPORATE TRAVELLERS

Meliá Hanoi today announced the launch of new business facilities for corporate travellers including the completion of five new meeting rooms and 43 Royal Service executive floor rooms (which includes a Grand Suite and a Presidential Suite). With these new additions, Meliá Hanoi now offers the most comprehensive range of meetings facilities in the city.

Constructed at a cost of approximately US$2 million, the incorporation of these new facilities is in response to the growing demand by business travellers who currently comprise 70% of Meliá Hanoi's guest profile. With the city of Hanoi enjoying an increase of 30% in overall hotel occupancy in the first quarter of 2001 over the same period in 2000, Meliá Hanoi seeks to capture a larger share of the corporate travel and meetings market through their new offerings.

With a view to adding value to stays for business travellers to the region, the Meliá Hanoi offers the widest range of meeting and convention facilities in Hanoi, including the largest pillar-less Grand Ballroom in Hanoi, which has a seating capacity for up to 1200 persons. The room can be subdivided into three sections with a large foyer/exhibition area. In addition, the property offers three boardrooms, seven meeting rooms including the new facilities and seven private dining rooms. A key attraction of the hotel as a meeting venue is its 6storey car park for 300 cars and its roof-top heliport, the only one of its kind in Hanoi.

Meliá Hanoi offers a wide range of state of art audio-visual equipment and has trained technical and service staff to offer assistance.

The hotel has a fully equipped business centre which offers secretarial and translation services, facsimile and email access as well as a meeting room and executive boardroom for 8 to 12 persons.

Targeting the business traveller, the five star Meliá Hanoi, offers 306 deluxe rooms, including 66 executive suites and 2 grand suites. A key feature of each room is the large working desk and executive chair. Each room comes fully equipped with separate IDD and fax lines, computer connection points and voice mail access. Other in-room features include a complimentary tea and coffee making facility, safe deposit box, individually controlled air conditioning units, remote controlled colour television with satellite programmes, mini bar and refrigerator, hair dryer, alarm clock, bathrobe and slippers.

Sol Meliá is the leading hotel group in Spain in both the city and resort hotel markets, the leading chain in Latin America and the Caribbean, the second largest hotel group in Europe and the tenth largest worldwide. The company is also the world's largest resort hotel chain. Sol Meliá has a portfolio of more than 330 city and resort hotels in 30 countries under the brand names of Meliá, Sol, TRYP and Paradisus hotels.

Its properties in Asia include Gran Meliá Jakarta, Meliá Bali (incorporating The Garden Villas), Meliá Benoa All-Inclusive Resort (Bali), Sol Lovina (Bali), Meliá Purosani (Yogyakarta), Meliá Panorama (Batam), and Sol Elite Marbella (Anyer) in Indonesia; Meliá Hanoi in Vietnam; Meliá Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia; and Sol Twin Towers (Bangkok) in Thailand. Sol Meliá has signed contracts to take-over and manage a further 80 hotels by the year 2002.


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Notes :

The 21 storey Meliá Hanoi is centrally located on Ly Thuong Kiet Street, within the city's business and diplomatic district, near the government offices, and within easy access to the city's many cultural, entertainment, tourist and shopping attractions.

Meliá Hanoi's restaurants and eateries include The Lotus Thai-Chinese signature restaurant with 7 private rooms, El Patio all-day dining restaurant offering local and international cuisine, a lobby lounge, and a pool bar.

Meliá Hanoi offers Halal meals for Muslim guests. The meals are specially prepared by two Muslim Chefs in a separate kitchen facility which includes a dedicated stewarding area and utensils for the preparation of Halal food. Special food products that are unavailable in Hanoi are imported from Muslim suppliers with special Halal certificates. With close to 60 embassies in Hanoi and many of them from the Middle-East and other Muslim countries, Meliá Hanoi has served many international delegations as well as several ASEAN Minister conferences with delegates from Muslim countries. Meliá Hanoi also offers a range of Halal dishes on the a la carte menus. Special halal set menus are available at the Thai-Chinese restaurant for corporate clients who request this service in advance. Other facilities at the Meliá Hanoi include 24-hour room service, swimming pool, gymnasium, gift shop and drug store.