Shangri-La Hotel, Vancouver to Open Early 2009

First North American Hotel for Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts

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. October 14, 2008

VANCOUVER, Canada, July 24, 2008. The Shangri-La Hotel, Vancouver, the city's tallest building has been "topped off" at 61 stories or 197 meters (647 feet). The July topping-off coincides with the six-month countdown to the January 24, 2009 opening for the luxury hotel, which will be the first North American property for Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts.

The 119-room Shangri-La Hotel, Vancouver will bring the essence of Shangri-La's renowned Asian hospitality to life in North America. Set in the downtown core, the hotel will occupy the first 15 floors of the landmark building, a multi-purpose complex built to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) silver green building standards, incorporating innovative residential living, high-end retail shopping, creative restaurants and an outside public art space curated by the Vancouver Art Gallery.

The hotel will integrate British Columbia's West Coast style and Shangri-La's Asian heritage. Shangri-La "Tigers," a group of young hoteliers trained at Shangri-La properties throughout Asia, will lead and train the hotel's staff to deliver Shangri-La's style of service, from welcome tea awaiting guests upon arrival to wireless in-room check-in.

Guestrooms and bathrooms - averaging 55 square meters (592 square feet) and 14 square meters (150 square feet) respectively - will be among the largest in Canada, and nearly half the guestrooms will have balconies. The in-room entertainment system will be the only one of its kind in a North American hotel and will offer state-of-the-art digital technology presented on 40-inch SONY LCD flat screen televisions.

CHI, The Spa at Shangri-La, the group's signature spa brand, also will make its North American debut. The 650-square-meter (7,000-square-foot) spa will feature five individual suites and one couple's suite, all with a fireplace and private bath, shower, changing and vanity area. CHI offers a range of therapies based on the ancient healing traditions, philosophies and rituals of China and the Himalayas. The hotel will also have a 1,524-square-meter (5,000-square-foot) fitness center with a yoga and Pilates studio and an outdoor heated pool.

A "Modern Pacific" dining destination on the third floor will provide four distinct experiences - a casual dining bistro, a covered outdoor terrace, a bar and lounge, and a fine dining area with two private rooms. Additionally, there will be a lobby lounge with two-story floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Georgia Street and the art galleria.

Meeting venues will include three rooms accommodating up to 130 people, a canopied outdoor terrace, The Library, and the 42-seat Blue Moon theatre.

The hotel is being jointly developed by Vancouver-based Peterson Investment Group and Westbank Projects Corp. Together, Westbank and Peterson Group have developed or have under construction more than $5 billion in projects representing approximately 1.39 million square meters (15 million square feet) of residential, retail, office and mixed-use projects. Their notable Vancouver icons include Living Shangri-La (The Living Shangri-La Residences are owned and are being developed, offered and sold by Peterson Investment Group and Westbank Projects Corp.), Shaw Tower and adjoining estates and the development of the legendary Woodward's property.

Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts currently owns and/or manages 55 hotels under the Shangri-La and Traders brands with a rooms inventory of over 28,000.