Hilton
Worldwide today marked its entry into the Burmese market with the
signing of a management agreement to manage Hilton Yangon in
Kyauktada Township, Yangon, Myanmar.
The
first Hilton Worldwide property in Myanmar, the 300-room Hilton
Yangon will also be the first Hilton Hotels & Resorts branded
hotel and is scheduled to open in 2014.
“This
agreement is a significant milestone for us as it represents both
Hilton Worldwide’s and the Hilton brand’s entry into Myanmar.
Following the social and economic reforms the country has made over
the past year, Myanmar has seen visitor arrivals grow by 45.1 percent
compared to the previous year1. Yangon, in particular, is positioned
to grow much faster than many other emerging market in Asia. Backed
by a strong partner like LP Holding Co., Ltd, we are very confident
that as the first internationally branded hotel in Yangon, Hilton
Yangon will set the benchmark for quality hospitality experiences
catering to both domestic and international travelers,” said Andrew
Clough, senior vice president, development, Middle East & Asia
Pacific, Hilton Worldwide.
“Hilton
Hotels & Resorts is a global leader of hospitality and Hilton
Yangon represents another important new chapter for our brand’s
rapidly-growing collection in Asia Pacific. Given its prime location
in downtown Yangon, this hotel will meet the needs of both corporate
and leisure travelers in delivering the world-class hospitality
synonymous with our brand and Hilton Worldwide,” said Rob
Palleschi, global head, Hilton Hotels & Resorts.
The
21-storey Hilton Yangon is 14.3 kilometers away from Yangon
International Airport and is part of Centrepoint Towers, a mixed-use
development which includes high-end retail boutiques and a premium
office tower. Located at No. 65, the corner of Sule Pagoda Road and
Merchant Street in the Kyauktada Township, the hotel is located
opposite Yangon’s iconic High Court building and the famous
Independence Monument Park. As the one of the tallest commercial
buildings in the city, hotel guests will enjoy impressive 365-degree
views of greater Yangon and easy accessibility to the downtown
Colonial quarter and business district of the city.
“Today’s
announcement represents our first partnership with Hilton Worldwide
and combines the expertise of a truly global, award-winning
hospitality company with strong local market expertise. Myanmar, and
Yangon in particular, is one of the most sought after destinations in
Southeast Asia since the United States and United Kingdom lifted
sanctions. Given the lack of internationally-branded, quality rooms
in the market, Hilton Yangon is in a great position to take advantage
of this undersupplied yet booming market,” said Richard Mayhew,
Director, LP Holding Co., Ltd.
Hilton
Yangon will offer one all-day dining restaurant, two specialty
restaurants, a destination sky bar and a lobby lounge. Offering a
total of 1,400 square meters of event space including a 850-square
meter ballroom, the hotel will also have an Executive Floor, a
business center, a fitness center, a pool, a spa and car park
facilities.
Yangon
boasts numerous tourism attractions such as the beautiful golden
pagodas which can be found dotted throughout the city, the most
famous of which is the Shwedagon Pagoda. Other key attractions
include Kandawgyi Lake with its Royal Barge, numerous museums and
well preserved examples of grand Colonial architecture. Following the
lifting of economic and social sanctions on the country, a number of
international airline carriers have introduced new routes into Yangon
to cater for the rapid growth in demand for corporate travelers.
Arrivals into Yangon are expected to remain strong and with new
foreign investment laws passed in November 2012 aimed at bringing in
foreign capital, the city is expected to generate high levels of
growth across all industries especially in the areas of mining,
energy, telecommunications, banking, real estate, legal, healthcare
and hospitality.
