Award-winning Doubletree by Hilton Announces Key Appointments for Its First Property in South East Asia

Ian Barrow, General Manager and Leo Frankel, Director of Business Development, prepare for brand's entry into the Malaysian market

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. April 26, 2010

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - 23 April 2010 - Scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2010, Doubletree by Hilton, an award-winning hotel brand by Hilton Worldwide, is a multi-million dollar redesign and renovation project taking shape near the prestigious Embassy Row. In preparation for its opening, Hilton Worldwide has appointed Ian Barrow as General Manager and Leo Frankel as Director of Business Development.

Chalking up a few firsts, Doubletree by Hilton, Kuala Lumpur is the brand's inaugural South East Asian property and its opening will mark the first full service upscale hotel to open in the Malaysian capital this year.

Martin Rinck, President, Hilton Worldwide - Asia Pacific, commented, “We are very proud to be introducing our Doubletree by Hilton brand to Malaysia this year, further enhancing our strong footprint for the brand in the region following four recent hotel openings in China. Malaysia is a dynamic market for business travel and tourism with strong projected growth for the coming years. With Ian's substantial track record in hotel openings, I am confident that he and the team will bring the warm, friendly and relaxed spirit of the Doubletree by Hilton brand to life in Kuala Lumpur and that he will offer our guests a truly fresh and new experience in the heart of the city centre.”

The 540-room upscale hotel is strategically located at the intersection of Jalan Ampang and Jalan Tun Razak. Doubletree by Hilton, Kuala Lumpur has more than 20,000 sq feet of flexible meeting space with two ballrooms. It also has a fully equipped business centre with state-of-the-art audio visual equipment and five food and beverage outlets.

Ian Barrow is a hospitality veteran with over 20 years' experience, including 15 years of specialist hotel opening expertise. Much of his experience has been garnered in Asia, and he has lead many prestigious properties for international hotel brands in Shanghai, Dhaka, Katmandu and various cities in Indonesia.

An area of key priority is the current recruitment of 420 team members in anticipation of the hotel opening in 2Q 2010 this year.

“We are tapping the talent pool in Malaysia and are focusing our pre-opening efforts on training and developing our new team to familiarize them with the unique culture and service style of the Doubletree by Hilton brand”, said Ian Barrow. “I believe our dynamic Malaysian team will do a great job of extending the brand's unique and caring commitment to the local community here. The Doubletree by Hilton KL should prove to be an exciting place to work that offers our team opportunities to grow and enhance their skills”.

Leo Frankel, has over 8 years of experience in the hotel industry mainly in the area of revenue management in key Hilton Worldwide properties in Europe and Asia. He joins the Doubletree by Hilton, Kuala Lumpur from Hilton Shanghai, where he was a Revenue Manager since 2008.

Frankel enthused, “The growth opportunity for Doubletree by Hilton is tremendous in this region. I am honored to be a part of the opening team here in Malaysia and look forward to setting the benchmark for future Doubletree by Hilton hotels that will open in the region.”

Issued by:
Grey Two PR Sdn.Bhd.
15th Floor, Wisma Genting,
Jalan Sultan Ismail,
50250 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Raymond Siva
Tel: +603 - 2178 0033
[email protected]
or
Suchithra Krishnan
Tel: +603 - 2178 0054
[email protected]