Hong Kong - Finalists have been announced for the Reggie Shiu Development of the Year and Single Asset Transaction of the Year Awards, to be presented at the 24th annual Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP), scheduled for 16-18 October 2013, at the InterContinental Hong Kong.  HICAP is hosted by BHN, Horwath HTL, and Stiles Capital Events.
 
Finalists for the Reggie Shiu Development of the Year Award are:
 

EAST, Beijing - Beijing, China - This contemporary styled, 396-room "business hotel with a life", was designed to provide the facilities, service and environment to deftly balance business with pleasure and serve as the focal point for the RMB 4 Billion INDIGO mixed-use (office + retail) project in East Beijing's quickly expanding business district.  The sensitive use of natural materials, texture changes and lighting creates a calming feel to the hotel experience, while state-of-the-art technology facilitates business. For unwinding, three customized "neighborhood" F&B venues are offered, along with an array of leisure/recreational facilities.  Owner: Swire Properties/Sino-Ocean Land; Operator: Swire Hotels; Architect: Benoy Associates LLC; Interiors: Benoy Associates LLC/Neri & Hu Design Research Office (F&B)
 

Parkroyal on Pickering - Singapore - This 363-room "Hotel in a Garden" is a refreshing addition to the Singapore CBD skyline, featuring 15,000 sqm of lush 4-storey sky gardens, mixing reflective pools, waterfalls, planters and vertical greenery.  This unique urban oasis incorporates an array of sustainable design features, including savvy use of solar power, rain harvesting and other conservation and recycling systems to manage utilities consumption.  Adding in clever, quirky and efficient design of rooms and public areas, the hotel has performed strongly since opening as a striking and distinguished product in a crowded and competitive market.  Owner: Pan Pacific Hotels Group; Operator: Pan Pacific Hotels Group; Architect: Woha Architects; Interiors: Woha Architects
 

Sheraton Macau Hotel - Cotai Central, Macau, China - Boasting 3,896 rooms, this latest addition to Macau's Cotai Strip takes "economies of scale" to a whole new level.  Add nearly 20,000 sqm of meeting/event space and you have the makings of a mini-city and all the management challenges and opportunities that come with it!  As impressive as its sheer size may be, its achieving 100% occupancy in its first weekend of operation is simply difficult to fathom - clearly a boon to accommodating pent-up demand and helping fill owner Las Vegas Sands' gaming coffers.  Owner: Las Vegas Sands; Operator: Starwood Hotels and Resorts; Architect: AEDAS; Interiors: KNA Design
 

Finalists for the Single Asset Transaction of the Year Award are:
 

Four Seasons Sydney - Sydney, Australia - In August 2013, the Korean funds manager, Mirae Asset Global Investments made its first move into the Australian hotel market with the purchase of the irreplaceable Four Seasons Hotel Sydney at a record Australian price of A$340 million or A$640,000 per key.  The seller, Eureka Funds Management, succeeded in working with Four Seasons to double operating profits since acquiring the asset in 2009 and crystalizing strong returns on their earlier purchase.
 

Laguna Beach Resort (now Outrigger Laguna Phuket) - Phuket, Thailand - In the spring of this year - Outrigger Enterprises acquired the fully renovated Laguna Beach Resort as the anchor for their growing regional platform.  The 254-room resort was acquired from a subsidiary of RECAP II Fund for US$118 million or US$464,000 per key and now operates as the Outrigger Laguna Phuket Resort.  The seller's acquisition of this property was co-awarded at last year's HICAP with a deal of the year - only to turn-around and clean up difficult and protracted issues of pre-existing litigation, land encroachment and beach squatters followed by a massive renovation, repositioning, and sale to a strategic buyer.
 

Park Hotel Clarke Quay - Singapore - In June 2013, Ascendas Hospitality Trust successfully acquired the leasehold Park Hotel Clarke Quay for S$300 million or about S$892,000 per key from the developer and operator, Park Hotel Group.  The transaction is significant because of the relatively quick value created by the acquisition of the land rights, development, branding and operation of the hotel by the seller and the structure of the transaction as a sale-leaseback.  The sale-leaseback to the Park Hotel Group was accretive to the buyer as the fixed component of the lease served to reduce the overall volatility of portfolio income while achieving the objective of increasing exposure to the Singapore market.

The Sustainable Hotel Awards will also be presented at HICAP, recognizing hotels in the Asia Pacific region demonstrating exemplary sustainable best practices.  For additional information on HICAP visit the HICAP website.

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About HICAP

HICAP is Asia's largest and longest running hotel investment event, making it the most important gathering of hotel developers, investors, lenders, operators, and other industry executives for information exchange, trend spotting, and deal making.  The 23rd annual HICAP held in October 2012 in Hong Kong attracted nearly 800 delegates from around the world.

 
About BHN
With more than two decades of experience, more than 100 events completed to-date, and nearly 80,000 international delegates, BHN conferences have become "must attend" events for industry leaders who come together to network, conduct business and to learn about the latest trends.  BHN events include: the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) in Los Angeles; the ALIS Summer Update; the Caribbean Hotel & Resort Investment Summit (CHRIS) in Miami; the Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP) in Hong Kong; HICAP UPDATE in Singapore; the Hotel Investment Forum India (HIFI) in Gurgaon Delhi N.C.R.; the Hotel Opportunities Latin America (HOLA) conference in Miami; and the Hotel Investment Conference Europe (Hot.E) in London.  The BHN website is the gateway for information about the conferences BHN produces, as well as a direct link to important players in the hospitality investment world.
 
About Horwath HTL
Horwath HTL is the world's largest hotel industry specialized consulting organization, currently with 50 offices in 39 countries. Since the set-up of Asia Pacific operations in 1987, Horwath HTL - Asia Pacific has been involved with over 2,000 projects throughout the region in all phases of the property lifecycle for clients ranging from individually owned businesses to the world's most prominent hotel companies, developers, lenders, investors, and industrial corporations. Horwath HTL currently operates out of regional offices in Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai, Sydney, and Auckland. www.HorwathHTL.Asia
 
About Stiles Capital Events LLC (SCE)
Stiles Capital Events LLC (SCE) - Event management, communications and marketing in the publishing, entertainment and hospitality industries since 1990. The SCE team has been associated with the development and organization of the Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP) since its inception and the subsequent launch of HICAP UPDATE. SCE is based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Contact:

Bob Hayes, BHN
+1.714.540.9300 (telephone-USA)
bhayes@burba.com