Small Luxury Hotels of the Worldâ„¢ appoints Vice President, Regional Development, Asia Pacific

In another key appointment in the region, Small Luxury Hotels of the Worldâ„¢ (SLH) has announced the appointment of Anita Chan as Vice President, Regional Development, Asia Pacific. 

Ms Chan, who will be based in Hong Kong, will be responsible for driving the growth of the luxury hotel brand across the Asia Pacific region, whilst ensuring that the strict quality standards that SLH is renowned for are maintained.

“The Asia Pacific region has enormous growth potential and therefore remains a key area of focus for Small Luxury Hotels of the World,” commented Paul Kerr, Chief Executive Officer of Small Luxury Hotels of the World. 

“Having a core member of the Development team in a strategic location like Hong Kong will not only enable us to gather important market intelligence, but it will also allow us to respond very quickly to opportunities in the region,” he added.

The appointment of Ms Chan in Hong Kong complements Small Luxury Hotels of the World’s existing office in Sydney and is a further demonstration of the brand’s commitment to the Asia Pacific region.

The brand of Small Luxury Hotels of the World continues to go from strength to strength and now comprises over 440 independent hotels in 70 countries around the world. 

In 2008, 74 new hotels were accepted into the SLH brand, of which over 20 were in the Asia Pacific region.   This upward growth trend is forecast to continue and by the close of this year, the worldwide collection of SLH hotels is expected to reach close to 500. 

In Asia Pacific, Small Luxury Hotels of the World has identified China and India as countries where the brand presence is yet to be fully maximised.  Both markets have seen a proliferation in consumer demand for luxury goods, which has resulted in a growth in luxury boutique hotels and a corresponding increase in applications by hotels to become part of the SLH brand.  This will be an area of focus for Ms Chan as she assumes her new role.

Ms Chan has extensive experience in the luxury hotel industry at senior management level and prior to joining Small Luxury Hotels of the World worked in Canada, the UK and Hong Kong for Four Seasons Hotels and Hyatt International as well as vendor companies VANTIS and Orbitz Worldwide and with clients including The Peninsula and Raffles.  She has an in-depth knowledge of markets across the world, on both the hotel and vendor sides, and she has specialised in reservation and distribution strategies, revenue management, e-marketing and Search Engine Optimisation. 

Ms Chan will join an existing team of SLH Development Directors in five locations around the world whose key focus is to develop the brand in areas where Small Luxury Hotels of the World has up until now been under-represented.

Hotels applying to become part of the SLH brand undergo a rigorous inspection process to ensure that the standards of excellence that SLH properties are renowned for are delivered across the entire collection of hotels.

Hotels interested in becoming part of the brand of Small Luxury Hotels of the World can visit www.joinslh.com, a multi-lingual, fully interactive website which provides hoteliers with the capability to complete the entire application process online.

A Report by The Mole