Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts is Set to Open Shangri-La Hotel, Shenyang, Its Second Hotel in the Former Qing Dynasty Capital

Imperial-Inspired Splendour in Shenyang

HONG KONG, June 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Shenyang's Imperial Palace is the inspiration for one of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts( http://www.shangri-la.com )' newest mainland China properties. The Hong Kong-based hotel company is preparing to debut a new five-star hotel in the historic city of Shenyang, which is home to the only other existing royal palace in mainland China after the Forbidden City in Beijing. Shangri-La Hotel, Shenyang will open along the city's "Golden Corridor" on 1 August, in time to host sports "royalty" during the 12th China National Sports Games being held there in September.

Shangri-La has created one of its luxury oases to care for travellers in Shenyang. The hotel's grand, tranquil lobby and Lobby Lounge are designed as if they were the "backyard" of the Imperial Palace, which is famed for its 20 gardens and roses (the official flower of Shenyang). Guests enter the hotel on a marble floor that appears strewn with rose petals, which are etchings filled in with three different marble inlays.

The lobby's soaring 10-metre ceiling is supported by marble-clad columns depicting wind and clouds in a traditional Chinese, auspicious graphic style. Behind the reception desk, a copy of a Song Dynasty painting found in the Shenyang Museum features a flock of soaring cranes, representing health and flowing treasure.

The grandeur of Shenyang Imperial Palace is reflected throughout the lobby area and represented in many forms: the patterns from an emperor's robe woven into area carpets; the flowing design of the crystal lighting fixture, the intricate rose petal design on laminated glass, and the naturalistic depictions on the marble columns. All the natural elements that were thoughtfully and seamlessly used in the creation of the Imperial Palace gardens were emulated in order to create an oasis where guests can relax, rejuvenate and revitalise.

Shangri-La Hotel, Shenyang's 424 guestrooms start from 42 square metres. Decorated with Chinese accents, the elegant and classic rooms offer panoramic city views and are outfitted with Shangri-La's signature amenities, including complimentary high-speed broadband Internet and Wi-Fi.

Shangri-La's signature Horizon Club guestrooms are found on the top five floors of the building, and the exclusive Horizon Club Lounge on the top 30th floor offers refreshing city views through nearly floor-to-ceiling windows. The Horizon Club Lounge is accessible to all suite and Club floor guests and offers valuable privileges including complimentary breakfast, all-day refreshments and evening cocktails, and free use of the lounge's meeting room for two hours per day. Providing guests an even more personalised level of service, Horizon Club privileges also include dedicated Club Concierge service, tea or coffee delivered to the guestroom with a wake-up call, suit pressing and late check-out until 4 p.m. on day of departure.

Also on the top floor of the hotel is Shinsen, a specialty restaurant and bar. Its contemporary environment features a sushi and sake bar, teppan private dining rooms and a rooftop terrace. Showcasing Shangri-La's restaurant design and cuisine concepts, all-day dining restaurant Cafe Liao is a dramatic food theatre with an extensive selection of Asian and international cuisines using both local and imported produce.

Shangri-La Hotel, Shenyang's Summer Palace serves the finest Cantonese and Liaoning cuisine in a style that combines authentic taste with contemporary presentation. Complementing the stylish decor and elegant ambience of the main dining area are 13 private dining rooms with garden views catering to VIP and corporate events as well as informal family and social occasions.

For meetings, the hotel offers 4,026 square metres of space on two floors. On level two, the grand ballroom is the largest of its kind in northeast China. The 1,900-square-metre pillarless ballroom has a 600-square-metre pre-function area with floor-to-ceiling windows and a nine-metre-high ceiling. Additional meeting facilities include a second 566-square-metre ballroom and seven function rooms, one of which offers a 3,015-square-metre rooftop garden.

The hotel's contemporary style health and recreation facilities include CHI, The Spa, with nine luxurious private spa suites; a rooftop tennis court; 25-metre indoor heated swimming pool; Jacuzzi; sauna, and steam bath. The fitness centre provides personal training in addition to group and individual exercise programmes.

Located on Qingnian Avenue (dubbed the "Golden Corridor") in Shenhe District, the hotel is situated within walking distance to the city's prime shopping and entertainment area and is close to city government, consulate offices and exhibition centres. It is a 30 minutes' drive to the airport and 20 minutes to the city's two major train stations, which connect Shenyang by express trains to key cities. Shangri-La Hotel, Shenyang will be the second hotel managed by Shangri-La in the city, joining Traders Hotel, Shenyang.

About Shenyang

Located approximately 500 miles north of Beijing -- about an hour's flight, Shenyang is the largest political, economic, cultural and transportation centre of northeast China. It also has a history dating back more than 3,000 years. It was once known as Mukden, a name given by the Tartar people who once ruled the area. As the birthplace of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Shenyang has many cultural relics, which symbolise the prosperity and subsequent decline of China's last feudal dynasty. The most famous of these is the Shenyang Imperial Palace( http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/liaoning/shenyang/palace.htm ), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, second only to the Forbidden City( http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/beijing/forbidden.htm ) in Beijing in the extent of its historic significance and preservation.

Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts (www.shangri-la.com), one of the world's premier hotel companies, currently owns and/or manages 80 hotels under the Shangri-La brand with a room inventory of over 32,000. Over four decades the group has established its brand hallmark of "hospitality from the heart". The group has a substantial development pipeline with upcoming projects in mainland China, India, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Qatar, Sri Lanka and United Kingdom.

For digitised pictures of the group's hotels, please go to http://www.shangri-la.com/corporate/press-room/photo-library

PRESS CONTACTS:

Carol Kong

Public Relations Manager -- Hong Kong & South East Asia

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts

Tel: (852) 2599 3307

Fax: (852) 2599 3374

E-mail: carol.kong@shangri-la.com

Website: www.shangri-la.com

SOURCE Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts