Amersfoort (NL)/Sydney(AU)/Lausanne (CH) | Golden Tulip Hotels, Inns & Resorts and Tourism, Hotels & Leisure Limited (THL) today announced the launch of the Golden Tulip brand in Australia, with the first property located in the heart of Melbourne’s city centre. The Golden Tulip Melbourne promises to set a new benchmark in hotel accommodation, through its exclusive range of services specifically tailored to meet the discerning needs of travellers.
Today’s announcement follows the cross shareholding agreement entered into between THL and Golden Tulip announced in January, that saw THL take a 30% equity stake in Golden Tulip and Golden Tulip take a 19.9% stake in THL. As part of that agreement, THL is now the exclusive development partner for the Golden Tulip brand in Asia Pacific.
Simon Wan, Joint Managing Director of THL said, “After finalising our recent partnership with Golden Tulip, we are pleased to have identified the first Golden Tulip hotel in Australia and look forward to launching the brand throughout the Asia Pacific region.”
Designed to appeal to business and leisure travellers alike, the Golden Tulip Melbourne is within easy access to all that the city is famous for: shopping, theatres, food and wine, while the legal and financial precincts of the city are also close by.
The moderate deluxe property will house a total of 200 studio rooms, 40 one-bedroom suites and 40 two-bedroom suites all featuring kitchenettes and open plan living.
As well as limitless wireless Internet connection, Golden Tulip Melbourne will also offer guests the opportunity to indulge in extra luxuries, including a flat screen TV, CD/DVD player, lap pool and leisure facilities including massage treatment rooms and a gymnasium.
In addition, 80 specially designed Business Rooms will offer executive services to cater for the corporate market.
Hans Kennedie, President and CEO of Golden Tulip added, “We are delighted to be launching the Golden Tulip brand in Australia with such a strategic property located right in the heart of cosmopolitan Melbourne. The combination of international standards, local flavours, for which Golden Tulip is renowned, allows each of our hotels to successfully enter its local market, appealing to both domestic and international travellers.”
Golden Tulip Melbourne will be located at 60 Market Street, Melbourne and is expected to open for business from late 2005.
About Tourism Hotels & Leisure | Tourism, Hotels & Leisure Limited (THL) is a global accommodation management company based in Sydney and listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. It operates five hotel brands in the Asia-Pacific region: Grand Pacific Suites & Resorts; Pacific International Suites, Apartments & Resorts; Golden Tulip Hotels, Inns & Resorts, Plaza Hotels and Pensione Hotels.
The key business assets of THL include proprietary hotel operating systems, intellectual properties, trade marks and management and franchise agreements.
Over the last eighteen months, THL has acquired several new hotel brands and as a result of a strategic partnership this January with the Netherlands-based global hotel operator Golden Tulip, it is also the exclusive development partner for the Golden Tulip brands in the Asia-Pacific.
The combined THL and Golden Tulip group, with its commercial alliance partners, is now the 14th largest hotel network in the world (by the number of hotels). It has more than 535 hotels, in 370 destinations across 43 countries. Fifty-three of these are in the Asia-Pacific, representing over 4,200 rooms.
THL is aiming to expand its brands in the Asia-Pacific, and is well placed to take advantage of the growth that is projected in the hospitality sector in the region.
For more information, please visit:
www.tourismhotelsleisure.com
About Golden Tulip Hospitality B.V. | Golden Tulip Hospitality B.V. with its head office based in Amersfoort, the Netherlands, is the owner of Golden Tulip, Inns & Resorts, franchising some 251 hotels across 37 countries, with the majority of hotels being located in urban destinations across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. Through its commercial alliance with TOP International Hotels, a German-based hotel consortium and the B&B Group, the combined portfolio comprises of over 47,500 rooms in approximately 483 hotels. Golden Tulip offers a unique franchise concept for two brands, designed to implement international standards, whilst maintaining local flavours: Golden Tulip for the four to four and half star business and resort hotels and Tulip Inn for the three star category. TOP International Hotels offers hotel reservations, marketing and sales services to independent hotels. B&B Hotels are comfortable two star hotels throughout France and Germany. The Hotel Management Division of Golden Tulip Hospitality B.V. combines some thirty operations in the Netherlands, Central Europe, the Middle East & North Africa and the UK.
For more information, please visit:
www.goldentulip.com
Aemilia Bosman
