Pullman Park Lane Hong Kong

Accor has reached its 600th hotel in Asia-Pacific with the signing of the landmark Park Lane Hotel in Hong Kong to the group’s upscale Pullman brand.

The rebranding of the Park Lane Hotel to Pullman is doubly significant because it is the brand’s 50th hotel in the region, representing enormous growth since Pullman Hotels debuted in late 2007.

Accor, the leading international hotel operator in Asia Pacific, has announced its milestone 600th hotel in the region with the signing of The Park Lane Hong Kong to its upscale Pullman brand. The announcement comes as The Park Lane celebrates its 40th anniversary and signifies a new era for the hotel.

Accor Asia Pacific chairman and CEO Michael Issenberg said, “The addition of The Park Lane Hong Kong to the Pullman brand is a huge milestone for Accor because it brings us a strategic hotel in the centre of one of the world’s most important business and tourism hubs at a time when Pullman is really affirming itself as one of the most exciting hotel brands in the region.

“The fact that it becomes our 600th hotel in the region is further cause for celebration because it is testament to Accor’s strong growth in the region and our investment in Pullman as a brand of the future.

“The Park Lane’s relaunch on 1 January 2015 will, I am sure, signify a very strong year for the Pullman brand, with more than 40 more Pullman hotels in the pipeline across the region for the new few years,” said Issenberg.

The Park Lane is one of Hong Kong’s most beloved hotels and has 826 rooms in the centre of Causeway Bay. While the hotel is very well maintained, a full renovation program has begun to bring it to Pullman’s exacting global standards which will include a make-over of the Park Lane Suites, executive floors, dining outlets, meeting rooms and executive lounge. With its rooftop garden terrace with spectacular views over Hong Kong, the Park Lane features three restaurants and bars, 14 meeting rooms with a total of 10,371 square feet of event space, a gym and wellness centre complete with sauna and steam bath, as well as a range of room styles to suit every type of traveller from business executives to families in one of the best locations in town. The interior design elements of the rooms will be overseen by LRI Hong Kong with renovations phased to avoid disruption to guests and the hotel will remain open throughout.

Park Lane Hotels International regional director Luc Bollen said, “We are very excited to join the Accor family and the Pullman brand and believe this will open The Park Lane hotel to greater distribution channels and more guests from across the globe.

“Pullman is the perfect brand for The Park Lane because it appeals to today’s cosmopolitan and connected traveller looking for upscale services and excellent business and meeting facilities.

“Our owners, Victoria Park Hotels Ltd are spending HKD$200 million in the next two years to rejuvenate the hotel and we look forward to this new journey after celebrating 40 successful years in business,” said Bollen.

The fact that Accor’s 600th hotel is part of the Pullman family is a great symbol of Accor’s future growth in the region, with the group increasingly focused on expansion in the upscale and luxury sector. While Accor launched in Europe in 1967, the group’s first hotel in Asia Pacific – the Novotel Orchid Singapore – opened in 1982. It took Accor 14 years to reach more than 100 hotels in Asia Pacific but from 1997 – 2007 the network tripled in size to over 300. Showing its strong focus on the region, Accor then doubled that network to 600, achieving in just six years what had previously taken 25 years.

Development has now reached record levels, with an average of one Accor hotel opening per week in Asia Pacific. This growth will continue to climb exponentially alongside the growing middle class in the region which is fuelling demand for quality, globally-branded hotel accommodation.