Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Asia Pacific’s leading luxury hotel group,
announces today the management takeover and re-branding of Shangri-La
Hotel, The Marina, Cairns, formerly the Radisson Plaza at the Pier, in
north Queensland.  The 256-room five-star hotel is currently undergoing
extensive refurbishment in excess of A$25 million, which will be completed
by January 2005.  Improvements will be carried out on the hotel’s existing
guest rooms and will incorporate a new lobby, new Horizon Club rooms with
Horizon Club lounge, four new conference rooms, a new restaurant and a
fitness centre. The hotel is being transformed by Sydney-based Watermark
Architecture and Interiors.Located in the new heart of Cairns,  the hotel adjoins the fully
refurbished Pier Shopping Centre with open-air restaurants overlooking a
new   waterfront   boardwalk,  a 400-square-metre swimming lagoon and
world-class marina.  The hotel is only ten minutes drive from Cairns
International Airport and an ideal base for visits to the World Heritage
listed   Great   Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest.  The vibrant
waterfront areas adjoining the Pier Shopping Centre have been created by
Cairns Port Authority and Cairns City Council, which, together with the new Shangri-La hotel,  offer an ideal location for both business and
leisure travellers alike.

Surveying the marina,  the hotel’s exclusive Horizon Club will offer 36
new and contemporary Marina View Rooms, each measuring over 56 square
metres inclusive of the balcony, and featuring 3.3-metre-high ceilings,
wooden floors,  luxurious furnishings,  ocean view bathrooms and large
terraces overlooking the yachts and mountains.

Shangri-La Hotel, The Marina, Cairns provides a selection of restaurants
and bars including an all day dining restaurant and fine dining featuring
modern Australian cuisine for dinner.  Recreational facilities include an
outdoor swimming pool situated in over an acre of lush tropical gardens,
and a fitness centre. Conference facilities offer a 400-seat ballroom, three private boardrooms and two breakout rooms with seating capacity for
a further 150 guests.

According to Ed Brea, the hotel’s General Manager, ‘We are very excited
about the re-branding of the hotel,  and look forward to bringing
Shangri-La’s unique services with traditional Asian values to Cairns.
The hotel’s prime location, state-of-the-art facilities and exceptionally
warm and personalised service will be our defining features.’

Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts currently manages 44 hotels in Australia,  mainland China,  Fiji,  Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia,
Myanmar,  Philippines,  Singapore,  Taiwan,  Thailand and the United Arab
Emirates,  with a rooms inventory of over 21,000.  In addition, the group
has over 20 projects under development in Canada, China, India, Malaysia,
Maldives, Oman, Qatar, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.
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