Patrick Imbardelli, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pan Pacific Hotels Group was awarded the Asia-Pacific Hotelier of the Year at the 2011 HM Awards for Hotel and Accommodation Excellence.

Hosted by HM (Hotel Management) magazine and in its ninth year, HM Awards are the leading awards for the accommodation industry in Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific, recognising the finest people, properties, brands and chains in the accommodation industry across Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific.

The 'Asia-Pacific Hotelier of the Year' Award – a first-ever at the HM Awards – was conferred on Patrick by a voting panel of industry professionals comprising acclaimed CEOs and Managing Directors across these regions.

"Patrick is one of the industry's finest and it was great for him to win in the very first year that this award is given out," said James Wilkinson, HM magazine's Managing Editor. "What makes the win more notable is that it was peer-voted with a selected group of Hoteliers choosing who they believe is the best leader in the Asia-Pacific."

With over 25 years of distinguished experience, Patrick leads the strategic management and expansion of Pan Pacific Hotels Group's hotels and businesses, including both Pan Pacific and PARKROYAL brands, in key markets of Asia, Greater China, Oceania and North America.

Since joining the Group in 2008, Patrick has successfully taken the company to a new chapter in its growth with the rebranding and opening of nine hotels under the Pan Pacific and PARKROYAL flags. Several of these developments also commenced the Group's operations into new growth markets.

Under Patrick's leadership, the Group successfully reintroduced the PARKROYAL brand to its birth country of Australia after a decade-long absence with the launch of PARKROYAL Darling Harbour, Sydney and PARKROYAL Parramatta. Following this, the Pan Pacific brand was introduced in Australia with Pan Pacific Perth.

The Group further signalled its commitment to Australia with the A$109 million acquisition of the Hilton Melbourne Airport Hotel which was rebranded PARKROYAL Melbourne Airport in April this year.

With Patrick's direction, the Group is set to expand its presence in China with four more properties including Pan Pacific Ningbo and Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Ningbo in 2012. PARKROYAL Hotels & Resorts will also debut in China with the opening of PARKROYAL Serviced Suites, Green City, Shanghai in 2012 and PARKROYAL Taihu Resort, Suzhou in 2014.

On winning the award, Patrick said, "It is a great honour to receive this distinction from the industry. But more than a personal accolade, I hope it is a recognition of Pan Pacific Hotels Group's recent milestones, particularly those in Australia. We have built a solid foundation with four great hotels in Australia and will be bringing more exciting offerings Down Under."

Last week, the Group unveiled its refreshed positionings for both Pan Pacific and PARKROYAL, anchored by extensive customer insights and research conducted in Australia, China, North America and Singapore. An advertising campaign for the refreshed Pan Pacific and PARKROYAL brands was launched, along with new visual and verbal identities on online and print platforms. Over the next three months, consumers will see the advertising campaign across different media platforms, including advertisements in top-tier local and regional print titles, in-flight channels, and online sites.