80+ Asian Hoteliers Attending WORLDHOTELS' First Regional Annual Conference

WORLDHOTEL .academy, the first of its kind to offer global training, is launched at the Conference i

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. October 14, 2008

SHANGHAI, January 19, 2007. WORLDHOTELS, the hotel group for independent hotels and regional hotel brands, is hosting its inaugural regional Annual Conference in Shanghai on January 19-20, 2007.

The Shanghai conference is the first of three regional WORLDHOTELS gatherings being held worldwide. More than 80 leading Asian hoteliers are attending the event, hosted for the first time in China. The two other conferences are being hosted in Hamburg and Minneapolis.

One key strategic initiative at the Annual Conference is the launch of WORLDHOTELS.academy. Only two years after the introduction of its training initiative Invest.Learn.Grow. WORLDHOTELS is extending the scope of its training services, making it the first hotel group for independent hotels to offer a full range of training modules designed for the needs of the industry. Hoteliers will benefit from a full training portfolio offering more than 40 training modules in more than 30 destinations worldwide.

Training modules range from management oriented topics like Yield and Revenue Management to Sales Techniques to hands on best practise tips for Housekeeping and Food and Beverage.

The trainers are highly skilled specialists who have proven their standing in both industry operations and in educating industry professionals, which is key to the success of the initiative. Hotels can expect a fast return on investment on their training spend as all topics are tailor-made for the needs of a WORLDHOTELS property.

'Hoteliers face two major issues these days: a fast-moving commercial environment and a high level of staff turnover. These are especially challenging for independent hotels', said Michael Ball, CEO of WORLDHOTELS. 'The comprehensive portfolio of WORLDHOTELS.academy enables our hotels to meet these challenges. In addition our clear pricing structure simplifies the planning process.'

WORLDHOTELS has also invited distinguished guest speakers to its annual conference to share their perspectives on relevant contemporary issues for the hospitality industry.

Keynote speakers include Gregor Lochtie, Vice President and General Manager China of CITS - American Express Business Travel, who will discuss "the value of partnership".

David Hall of David Hall Associates, Australia will be discussing "the changing face of the MICE market'.

A podium panel discussion with industry leaders will reflect on the changing trends in bookings and information gathering in the travel industry.

Michael Ball, WORLDHOTELS CEO, said: 'Our objective as a dynamic and fast moving company is to bring our strategies, new products and the opportunities resulting from them closer to our member hotels.'

Ten sponsor delegates are attending from such renowned travel groups as Abacus, IDeaS, IFH, Serenata, TRUST International, the Rubicon Group and CNN International.

Also present will be key representatives from WORLDHOTELS' American and European sales offices.

Established in 1971, the WORLDHOTELS annual conference has become a traditional institution for its members, providing important updates on the travel industry and insights into the latest technological and consumer trends.

Operating in an increasingly complex, interconnected, on demand and transparent world, it is the goal of WORLDHOTELS' annual conference to provide support and guidance to member hotels in order to be able to deal with current challenges in the market place.

This is the first time that the annual conference has been broken down into three distinct regional conferences to better serve the differing needs of the hotels in each of WORLDHOTELS three main regions: The Americas, Europe, the Middle East & Africa, and Asia/Pacific.

WORLDHOTELS is the largest and most established Europe based global hotel group for independent hotels and regional hotel brands. The company's strong emphasis is on properties with character and distinction.

Under the banner 'Bringing Unique Hotels and People Together', WORLDHOTELS offers business and leisure travelers a wide choice of individualistic accommodation options in three distinct collections - Deluxe, First Class, and Comfort. WORLDHOTELS' guests also benefit from an extensive portfolio of partnerships, including frequent flyer programs from 18 of the world's leading international airlines, including Air China, All Nippon Airways and Thai Airways.

To its member hotels, WORLDHOTELS provides a wide range of sales, marketing, distribution and related services. The company has about 500 member properties in more than 300 destinations and 70 countries worldwide. For more information, visit worldhotels.com.