5-Star Millennium Hotel in Shanghai set to Debut in 2006

The Millennium Hongqiao Shanghai to be Millennium & Copthorne's First Venture in China

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. October 14, 2008

NEW YORK, NY, December 13, 2005. Millennium & Copthorne (M&C) Hotels plc has added another prestigious property to its group of over 90 hotels - the Millennium Hongqiao Shanghai. The five-star projected property is expected to be completed in mid-2006 and is located in Hongqiao, Shanghai's commercial and residential district which is also located nearby the Shanghai Exhibition and Convention Centre, approximately ten minutes away from Hongqiao Airport.

The Millennium Hongqiao Shanghai joins a list of growing properties that have just recently become part of the Millennium group of hotels including the Millennium Sukhumvit Bangkok in Thailand (scheduled for completion in 2007), a soon-to-be completed Millennium Hotel in Southampton, England; and the Copthorne Hotel Reading, an 83-bedroom property in Reading, England. M&C also recently opened the Coral Beach Diving Hotel in Egypt, a 206-room property situated on the promenade of the Port Ghalib International Marina. M&C also owns 19 hotels in North America that include the historic and famous Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, the Millennium Bostonian Hotel in Boston, the Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel in Chicago, and the Millennium Broadway and Millennium UN Plaza Hotels in New York City.

"It is really exciting to plant our M&C flag in Shanghai, one of the most dynamic cities in Asia if not the world," said Mr. Kwek Leng Beng, chairman of M&C Hotels plc and executive chairman of the Hong Leong Group Singapore.

Mr. Vincent Yeo, president, Asia Pacific for M&C Hotels also added, "This is the first step for M&C in creating a presence in the Chinese market. We aim to continue expanding our presence in China in key gateway cities."

The Millennium Hongqiao Shanghai will be wholly managed by M&C and owned by the Shanghai Workers Union, which owns hotels, villas and spas amongst other investments in China. The five-star international standard hotel will have 12-storeys of 350 spacious deluxe rooms and suites. The rooms will be designed with the needs of business and leisure travelers in mind. The hotel will also serve as a corporate retreat destination with extensive conference services and facilities.

Unlike most city hotels in Shanghai, the Millennium Hongqiao's design also places emphasis on the balance between contemporary architectural design and the surrounding ecosystem. For instance the hotel's landscaping design will feature lush greenery (garden, trees), water-based formations and other environmentally friendly creations to provide guests with a sense of serenity and spaciousness. At the same time guests will be able to experience the cosmopolitan vibrancy of Shanghai which boasts some of the world's most elegant shopping establishments, entertainment venues and restaurants.

Shanghai is situated on the banks of the Yangtze River Delta and is China's largest city and one of the country's most important economic, commercial, financial and communications centers. Two of Shanghai's main airports are Hongqiao and Pudong Airports and its ports is one of the largest and the busiest in the world. Shanghai is also home to many modern skyscrapers and buildings but also boasts famous and recognizable landmarks such as The Bund which features historical European colonial structures and The Longhua Temple which dates back to the Three Kingdoms period (242 A.D.).