Pan Pacific Hotels Group has announced it will open new properties Pan Pacific Ningbo and Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Ningbo in Zhejiang, China.

This follows the signing of a management agreement with Ningbo International Trade Investment and Development Company Limited at the 12th Zhejiang Investment and Trade Symposium on 8 June 2010.

The 430-room Pan Pacific Ningbo and 200-room Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Ningbo are located at the gateway of an upcoming industrial and economic zone in Ningbo, and are part of a mixed-used development by Ningbo International Trade Investment and Development Company Limited.

The mixed-used development also includes the Ningbo International Conference Exhibition Center which will feature 10 main halls totaling over 600,000 square metres. In addition a new commercial district and up market residential area is evolving in the immediate area.

The opening of these new properties in Ningbo is part of Pan Pacific Hotels Group's Greater Shanghai strategy to establish its presence in Shanghai and the fast-growing cities surrounding it including Suzhou, Hangzhou and Shaoxing. The Group also opened its seventh Global Sales Office in Shanghai earlier this year.

"We are extremely grateful for the opportunity and delighted to commence this partnership with Ningbo International Trade Investment and Development," said A. Patrick Imbardelli, President and CEO of Pan Pacific Hotels Group. "Both Pan Pacific Ningbo and Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Ningbo are significant and important brand-defining additions for us – as we seek to build our presence and create memorable hotel experiences for more guests in China."

Pan Pacific Hotels Group currently manages Pan Pacific Xiamen and Pan Pacific Suzhou in China. Pan Pacific Suzhou was recently named one of China's ‘Top 10 Most Popular Resort Hotels of 2010' in the very prestigious Golden Pillow Awards.

Now in its seventh year, the Golden Pillow Awards are jointly held by China's top financial medium 21st Century Business Herald and China's first "Business + Travel" magazine and decided on by a panel comprising business experts, media, hotel investors and millions of votes from netizens.

Pan Pacific Ningbo and Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Ningbo are scheduled to open end 2011. The latter marks Pan Pacific's third Serviced Suites property and second outside Singapore, after Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Bangkok.