WORLDHOTELS has boosted its growing presence in Japan with the announcement that four RIHGA Royal Hotels in Osaka, Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima have joined as affiliates.

With a history spanning more than 70 years, RIHGA Royal Hotels has a proud reputation for first-rate hospitality and excellence, and are renowned as �Japan�s private guesthouses�.

The group flagship RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka has joined WORLDHOTELS� Deluxe Collection. With cutting-edge technology and an elegant ambience, it is often called the �State Guest House of Kansai�.

RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka features 973 guestrooms and 24 choices of restaurants, bars, and lounges plus extensive conference facilities, one of the largest ballrooms in Osaka that can accommodate up to 2,000 guests in theatre style and banqueting for 800.

Facilities also include a fitness centre, indoor swimming pool, Natural Garden Caf�, 24 hour room service, florist, and beauty salon.

The hotel is adjacent to Osaka International Convention Center and has direct access to Nakanoshima Station on the Keihan Line.

Also joining WORLDHOTELS� Deluxe Collection, RIHGA Royal Hotel Tokyo is located on the edge of Okuma Garden in downtown Tokyo and is adjacent to Waseda University in the metropolitan Shinjuku area, one of the world's busiest commercial districts.

The hotel provides a taste of culture, tradition and tranquility with a luxurious European-style ambiance, with most of the 126 elegantly appointed guest rooms overlooking the lovely Okuma Garden. Impeccable service is also one of the hallmarks of this urban luxury hotel.

Dining options and faclities include a coffee house, Royal Ryuho Cantonese Restaurant, Naniwa Japanese Restaurant, Garden Lounge, Cellar Bar, indoor swimming pool, beauty salon and 15 function rooms for up to a thousand guests.

The long established RIHGA Royal Hotel Kyoto near Kyoto Station is popular with both business and leisure travelers, and joins the First Class Collection.

The hotel offers 484 guest rooms with traditional Kyoto features such as stone pavements, a green tea plantation and a Japanese Zen garden.

A highlight is the top-floor French restaurant �Top of Kyoto� which is the only revolving restaurant in the city, offering a 360-degree panoramic view of the thousand-year-old ancient capital of Japan.

Other dining options for international travellers include Chinese and Japanese cusines plus lounges and bars.

Facilities include an indoor swimming pool and in-room massage as well as 22 function rooms for up to a thousand guests.

RIHGA Royal Hotel Hiroshima, conveniently located in the centre of the city close to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and Seto Inland Sea, also joins as a First Class Collection affiliate.

With a total of 488 guest rooms, RIHGA Royal Hotel Hiroshima offers stunning views of the A-Bomb Dome and Miyajima, two UNESCO World Heritage sites, and Hiroshima Castle.

Facilities also include French and Chinese restaurants, plus a fitness centre, indoor pool and conference facilities for up to 1,800.

�RIHGA Royal Hotels is renowned for earning the patronage of the Japanese imperial family as well as royalty, heads of state and key government officials from around the world. This partnership significantly strengthens our presence in Japan, an exciting attraction for both the leisure travel and MICE markets,� said Mr. Roland Jegge, Vice President of WORLDHOTELS Asia Pacific.

RIHGA Royal Hotels� Managing Director Executive Mr. Toru Kawasaki said: "We are looking forward to extending our marketing and distribution reach globally through a successful long-term strategic partnership with WORLDHOTELS.�

For more information on WORLDHOTELS and RIHGA Royal Hotels, please visit worldhotels.com and www.rihga.com

- Ends - Note to editors:

� WORLDHOTELS is an exclusive collection of the world's most unique independent hotels. Under the banner "Unique Hotels for Unique People", it now has 450 affiliate properties in 250 destinations and 65 countries worldwide.

� Celebrating 40 years of excellence, the company's mission is to offer business and leisure travellers easy access to a wide range of 4 and 5 star hotels with character and distinction. Each hotel in the WORLDHOTELS portfolio has passed a rigorous selection process and meets the group�s stringent quality standards. Over 1000 quality criteria are anonymously tested on an annual basis.

� WORLDHOTELS' guests benefit from an extensive selection of partnerships, including frequent flyer programmes from 17 of the world's leading international airlines, including Air France/KLM, United Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa.

� Through an unparalleled range of services covering global marketing, sales, training, and e-commerce as well as state-of-the-art distribution and technology, WORLDHOTELS gives independent hotels the collective strength of a global hotel brand whilst still allowing them to retain their individual character and unique identity.

ASIA PACIFIC Reservation Numbers: Australia Toll free: 1-800-55 35 49 For groups: 61-2-90 06 10 88 China (North) Toll free: 10-800-650-8221 For groups: 10-800-6 50 00 87 China (South) Toll free: 10-800-2 65 82 21 For groups: 10-800-2 65 00 87 Hong Kong Toll free: 800-96 85 63 For groups: 800-90 85 95 India Toll free: 000-800-6 50 11 60 For groups: 65- 62 27 55 35 Japan Toll free: 0120-55 75 37 For groups: +81 3 67 21 81 41 Malaysia Toll free: 1-800-80 11 84 For groups: 1-800-80 15 86 New Zealand Toll free: 0-800-44 75 55 For groups: 61-2-90 06 10 88 Philippines Toll free: 1-800-16 51 01 67 For groups: 65 62 27 55 35 Singapore Toll free: 1-800-2 27 66 26 For groups: 65- 62 27 55 35 South Korea Toll free: 080-747-10 00 For groups: 82-2-756 90 00 Taiwan Toll free: 00801-65 10 95 For Groups: 00801 651 423 Thailand Toll free: 001-800-65 66 04 For groups: 65 62 27 55 35

Issued on behalf of WORLDHOTELS by Grebstad Hicks Communications.

For further information, please contact:

Grebstad Hicks Communications Ms. Carol Kong Tel: 852 2810 0532 E-mail: carol.kong@ghcasia.com

WORLDHOTELS Mr. Roland Jegge Tel: 65 6227 5535 E-mail: rjegge@worldhotels.com