SINGAPORE, Raffles Hotels & Resorts has been recognised as one of the top three companies on the Best Employers in Singapore 2007 list released by Hewitt Associates, a global management consulting firm. The Best Employers in Singapore 2007 award is the Group’s fourth consecutive award as one of Singapore’s best. It is also the only hotel management company to be placed on the list. In addition, the Group has also received the accolade as one of the Best Employers in Asia 2007, making this the second time the Group has been recognised as one of Asia’s most admired employers.

The Best Employers in Asia 2007 is a study of people management practices across 750 companies in China, Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea. In Asia, Raffles Hotels & Resorts manages five hotels including Raffles Hotel Singapore and Raffles Beijing Hotel.

The award-winners list from this study is determined by an independent judging panel based on the human resource practices of participating organisations as well as a detailed Employee Opinion Survey conducted by Hewitt Associates, ensuring an objective view of each organisation’s practices.

“At Raffles Hotels & Resorts, our employee care and development practices are built on four pillars, namely a commitment to offer our staff an inspiring work environment, a market-driven total compensation package and continued investment in their training and development,” said Mrs Diana Ee-Tan, Managing Director of Raffles Hotels & Resorts. “Our programmes for staff development and welfare have resulted in employees who are passionate about their work, and committed to delivering the highest standards that our guests and patrons have come to expect of a Raffles. The dedication of our staff has enabled Raffles to garner accolades such as being named one of the top three hotel brands in the world by Conde Nast Traveler Business Travel Awards, and having our hotels consistently rated as some of the best places to stay in the world.”

As part of its talent development and retention plan, three programmes and initiatives have been introduced in the past year for Raffles’ employees – Pathfinder Career Opportunities programme, Destinations Travel Programme and Raffles Univirtual.

Pathfinder Career Opportunities programme lists all job vacancies across the hotels under Fairmont Raffles Hotels International Inc, and gives employees tremendous opportunities to move and grow their career within the company. Fairmont Raffles Hotels International Inc was formed in May last year after the hotel portfolios of Raffles Hotels & Resorts and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts were combined. The company owns and manages over 120 hotels under four brands, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Raffles Hotels & Resorts, Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts and Delta Hotels.

Destinations Travel Programme is an employee benefit programme that includes attractive rates on accommodation, dining, golf and spa experiences at any property within the Fairmont Raffles Hotels International group. Employees simply need to make their booking online to enjoy these perks.

In November 2006, Raffles Univirtual, an online distance learning programme was developed in partnership with Cornell University and eCornell. Raffles Univirtual enables Raffles managers to earn Certificates from Cornell University in fields such as Hospitality Management, Financial Management, Foodservice Management and Leadership. In addition, employees are encouraged to take up the diverse courses offered through Raffles Knowledge Pte Ltd (Raffles Hotels & Resorts’ training arm), such as Wine Appreciation, Time-Management Skills and even Neuro Linguistic Programming for personal development.

As the Raffles team grows to support the Group’s rapid expansion, Raffles Hotels & Resorts has introduced Selection of Talent at Raffles (STAR), a customised talent-based selection programme developed by The Gallup Organization to help assess the fit of new candidates with the Raffles culture and job role. Overall, STAR seeks to ensure that new employees who join the Raffles family will have a more enjoyable working experience.

Mr Tommy Ng, Head of Human Resources, Raffles Hotels & Resorts commented, “Our strategy in talent development is to prepare Raffles employees for a career at Raffles Hotels & Resorts, beyond their current role. While talent development programmes play a part, creating an inspiring work environment is also key to showing employees that we care about them. We will continue our pursuit of best practices in people management.”

ABOUT RAFFLES HOTELS & RESORTS | Raffles is a collection of luxury hotels around the globe that distinguishes itself through the highest standards of products and services. Each hotel is a landmark in its respective city, positioned at the top of its local market and rated among the very best in the world.

Raffles’ relentless pursuit of service excellence has earned for its hotels and resorts a legion of international accolades, including Condé Nast World’s Best Places to Stay and Travel & Leisure World’s Best Awards. Its flagship, Raffles Hotel Singapore, was named Best Luxury Hotel 2006 by Travel Trade Gazette Asia. Raffles Hotels & Resorts was ranked second among the world’s top hotel brands in the 2006 Condé Nast Traveler Business Travel Awards. The award-winning collection of legendary hotels includes Raffles Hotel and Raffles The Plaza in Singapore, Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia, Raffles Hotel Le Royal, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Raffles Beijing Hotel, People’s Republic of China, Raffles L’Ermitage Beverly Hills in the U.S., Raffles Resort Canouan Island, The Grenadines and Raffles Le Montreux Palace, Montreux, Switzerland. Raffles Dubai, United Arab Emirates, will open in the third quarter of 2007.

Future additions to the Raffles portfolio include a hotel on the Cotai Strip in Macao, Raffles Tianjin in China, Raffles Da Nang in Vietnam, Raffles Manila in the Philippines, Raffles Konottaa in Maldives, Raffles St Lucia in the Caribbean and Raffles Phang Nga Resort and Residences in Phuket, comprising a 120-villa resort and 25 private Raffles Residences adjacent to the resort.

ABOUT FAIRMONT RAFFLES HOTELS INTERNATIONAL, INC. | Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, Inc. is a global hotel company headquartered in Toronto, Canada. The company owns and manages over 120 hotels in 25 countries under four brands, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Raffles Hotels & Resorts, Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts and Delta Hotels as well as vacation ownership properties managed by Fairmont Heritage Place.

Vivian Koh
Manager, PR & Communications
(65) 6430-1193
Raffles