Asia Pacific's luxury hotel group was recognized for its contributions to the China hotel industry, by receiving the first annual "China Hotel Industry Pioneer Award" during the China Hotel Development and Financing Seminar in Beijing.

The China Hotel Development and Financing Seminar was conducted by Horwath Asia Pacific, Sonnenblick-Goldman and the China Tourist Hotels Association. The conference provided a platform for local owners, developers, operators and other industry participants to exchange information, latest methods and useful contacts in the China market.

"Through its expansion and commitment to training, service and product quality, Shangri-La has brought international five-star hotel standards to secondary and tertiary markets throughout the country, generating a consistent high quality brand image recognized by domestic and international travellers alike," said Robert Hecker, managing director of Horwath Asia Pacific.

"The group remains committed to investing in the further development of the China hotel industry by setting new benchmarks and best practices for the industry to follow," he added.

"Receiving this award is not only a great honour, but also an inspiration to continue our dedication and commitment to this country's development through its hotel industry," said Symon Bridle, Shangri-La's chief operating officer, who accepted the award on behalf of the group.

Fittingly, the award presentation was held in the Shangri-La Hotel, Beijing which was the group's first new-build hotel in China when it opened in 1986 (its first hotel in mainland China, the Shangri-La Hotel, Hangzhou, was a takeover of an existing property when it opened in 1984.) Today, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts is the largest luxury hotel group operator in China. Mainland China represents 8,000 of the group's 21,000 rooms and 19 of its 47 properties. The group plans to grow to 35 mainland China properties by 2008.

Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Asia Pacific's leading luxury hotel group, currently manages 47 hotels under the five-star Shangri-La and four-star Traders Hotels brands, with a rooms inventory of over 21,000. The group has over 30 projects under development in Canada, mainland China, India, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Oman, Philippines, Qatar, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. For more information and reservations, please contact a travel professional or access the website at www.shangri-la.com.

Horwath Asia Pacific is the regional arm of Horwath International's Hotel, Tourism and Leisure Consulting Group. Since its establishment in 1987, Horwath Asia Pacific has been involved with over 1,000 projects throughout the region in all phases of the property lifecycle for clients ranging from individually held businesses to the world's most prominent hotel companies, developers, lenders, investors and industrial corporations. HAP currently operates out of offices in Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Mumbai, Sydney, Auckland, Brisbane and Honolulu.

For digitised pictures of the group's hotels, please go to http://www.shangri-la.com/imagelibrary