The Shangri-La Hotel, Ningbo celebrates its grand opening on 22 April 2010, marking the completion of all facilities at the hotel. The hotel is the newest international luxury brand hotel in the city, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts’ 28th property in mainland China and sixth hotel in the Yangtze River Delta region.
In the first nine months of operation, the five-star hotel has welcomed over 60,000 travellers to Ningbo and has become a centre of social life in the city. To date, over 250,000 guests have dined in the hotel’s restaurants, over 350 events have been hosted in the hotel’s meeting facilities, and over 19,000 guests have attended weddings at the hotel. Shangri-La was named the Best Newly Open Hotel of China at the 2009 Starlight Awards. And the hotel will celebrate more notable achievements this year with the appointment of Shangri-La Hotel, Ningbo as the official host venue for the EXPO 2010 Shanghai China theme forum in the city.
“I would like to take this opportunity to extend our sincere gratitude to all our valued guests for their patronage that makes our business successful. We endeavour to offer the best of Ningbo through our legendary hospitality, facilities, cuisine and unrivalled service. We are glad to celebrate the grand opening of Shangri-La Hotel, Ningbo today,” said Lim Boon Kwee, general manager of Shangri-La Hotel, Ningbo.
Ningbo is a two-hour drive from Shanghai via the Hangzhou Bay Bridge and a two-hour flight from Hong Kong. The 563-room Shangri-La Hotel, Ningbo is a 20-minute drive from the airport and within walking distance of Ningbo’s largest shopping area, Tianyi Square, and major tourist attractions. Located in the heart of the central business district, the hotel is at the confluence of the Fenghua, Yuyao and Yong rivers.
Ningbo’s status as a major international port stretches back to the Tang Dynasty, and the city remains an important trading centre. Labelled by the government as one of the top 10 cities for conferences and exhibitions, Ningbo is a major exporter of consumer and electrical products, textiles, food and industrial tools.
With luxury and technology in mind, the guestrooms at Shangri-La Hotel, Ningbo feature wireless Internet access as well as integrated audio-visual equipment. Guests can interface personal electronic devices such as MP3 players, iPods and digital cameras in their rooms – the first hotel in Ningbo to offer such technology. Guestrooms measure from 45 square metres upwards, while suites range in size from 90 to 225 square metres. The Horizon Club rooms and suites occupy floors 28 to 34 and the exclusive two-storey Horizon Club Lounge on the 28th floor has floor-to-ceiling windows that offer a panoramic view of the city of Ningbo.
The hotel also provides comprehensive event solutions with 5,000 square metres of meeting and banqueting space. Facilities include: a 2,000-square-metre, column-free grand ballroom with a ceiling height of eight metres, the largest of its kind in Zhejiang province; a junior ballroom; and a variety of multifunction rooms suited for any event. In addition, the hotel offers a purpose-built VIP interview room, the first of its kind in the city.
Shangri-La Hotel, Ningbo’s health club includes a 25-metre swimming pool, a fully equipped gym and two tennis courts. A spacious 1,000-square-metre spa with nine private treatment rooms further complements the hotel’s leisure facilities.
Dining experiences at the hotel include 13 private dining rooms at the hotel’s signature Chinese restaurant, Shang Palace, which serves Ningbonese and Cantonese cuisine in a contemporary and elegant setting. Yi Café, showcasing open kitchens and engaging performances by chefs at live cooking stations, provides all-day dining. The Lobster Bar and Grill features nightly live performances and cocktails, while the Lobby Lounge offers a wide selection of tea and light snacks.
Shangri-La Hotel, Ningbo celebrates its grand opening by offering special rates starting from RMB888 per night single or double occupancy. Valid until 30 June 2010, the grand opening rate offer includes complimentary daily breakfast. For further information and reservations, please call (86 574) 8799 8808 or email reservations.slnb@shangri-la.com.
Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Asia Pacific’s leading luxury hotel group, currently owns and/or manages 66 hotels under the deluxe Shangri-La and mid-market Traders brands, with a rooms inventory of over 30,000. The group has over 40 projects under development in Austria, Canada, mainland China, France, India, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Russia, Qatar, Seychelles, Turkey and United Kingdom. For more information and reservations, please contact a travel professional or access the website at www.shangri-la.com.
Ningbo will host the first Expo 2010 Shanghai China theme forum at Shangri-La Hotel, Ningbo on 15 and 16 May 2010. The forum will be held in Shangri-La Hotel, Ningbo’s 2,000-square-metre Ningbo Grand Ballroom and will be a platform for discussions on information technology and urban development. Five monthly theme forums will follow in other host cities: Hangzhou, Shaoxing, Nanjing, Suzhou and Wuxi.
The hotel is committed to ensuring the two-day theme forum, Ningbo’s most important and high profile event of the year, will be produced and delivered successfully.
Information Technology
Prior to the appointment as the official host venue for the Expo 2010 Shanghai China 2010 theme forum, Shangri-La Hotel, Ningbo offered wireless Internet access in selected areas in the hotel. To reaffirm the hotel’s commitment to the government of Ningbo and in line with the “Information Technology” theme at the forum, the hotel has invested over RMB4 million to expand the wireless network throughout the hotel.
Safety and Security
To ensure the hotel guests’ and theme forum delegates’ safety and security, the hotel’s security team has undergone further training and security measures have been reinforced. Additional security personnel will be mobilised and all areas of the hotel will be under strict security including the basement car park, guest floors and all public areas.
Service Excellence
Shangri-La Hotel, Ningbo’s defining feature is its warm hospitality as defined by Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts’ philosophy “Shangri-La Hospitality from Caring People.” All newly-hired colleagues undergo the “Shangri-La Care” training programme immediately upon joining the hotel, and all existing colleagues are retrained in this programme. Respect, courtesy, sincerity, helpfulness and humility are all core values of the training, which focuses on the group’s mission, “delighting customers each and every time.”
Task Force
As part of an international luxury hotel group, Shangri-La Hotel, Ningbo will benefit from the knowledge of experienced employees from many of Shangri-La’s 28 hotels in China. Task force members from all areas of operations have arrived and will support with both the hotel’s grand opening on 22 April 2010 and the Expo 2010 Shanghai China theme forums on 15 and 16 May 2010.
“This event will welcome over 2,800 visitors to Ningbo and over 800 theme forum delegates to our hotel over the two days, and we are very pleased that the government of Ningbo has given us the opportunity to host this event to showcase our facilities and the best of Asian hospitality. It is an honour and we will endeavour to make this important event successful and memorable for both the delegates and organisers. It has been an exciting and fruitful year for us: our appointment as the official venue for the Expo 2010 Shanghai China theme forum; the winning of the Best Newly Open Hotel of China at the Starlight Awards, and the celebration of our official grand opening. We are extremely grateful for all the support from our guests and the government, who have contributed to our success.” said General Manager Lim Boon Kwee.
Expo 2010 Shanghai China will be held from 1 May to 31 October 2010. For more information about Expo 2010 Shanghai China, please visit http://www.expo2010.cn or http://en.expo2010.cn.
For room reservations at Shangri-La Hotel, Ningbo, please telephone (86 574) 8799 8808 or e-mail reservations.slnb@shangri-la.com.
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