Accor, the leading international hotel operator in Asia Pacific, has announced its milestone 600th hotel in the region with the signing of The Park Lane Hong Kong to its upscale Pullman brand. The announcement comes as The Park Lane celebrates it 40th anniversary and signifies a new era for the hotel.

The Park Lane is one of Hong Kong’s most beloved hotels, boasting 826 rooms in the centre of Causeway Bay. While the hotel is very well maintained, a full renovation program has begun to bring it to Pullman’s exacting global standards which will include a make-over of the Park Lane Suites, executive floors, dining outlets, meeting rooms and executive lounge. With its rooftop garden terrace boasting spectacular views over Hong Kong, the Park Lane features three restaurants and bars, 14 meeting rooms with a total of 10,371 sqft. of event space, a gym and wellness centre complete with sauna and steam bath, as well as a range of room styles to suit every type of traveller from business executives to families in one of the best locations in town. The interior design elements of the rooms will be overseen by LRI Hong Kong with renovations phased to avoid disruption to guests and the hotel will remain open throughout.

In just over seven years since its launch, Pullman has become one of the most dynamic upscale hotel brands in the region, quickly establishing itself as the largest five-star hotel brand in Australia and Accor’s fastest-growing brand in Greater China. The Pullman brand aims to set new benchmarks in upscale accommodation, with a network of 80 hotels across 23 countries and 5 continents. Pullman hotels are typically vibrant hubs of exchange, offering tailored services, innovative technologies and a new approach to organising meetings. With contemporary architecture and design, a warm welcome and the promise of connectivity, Pullman hotels are aimed at today’s busy and demanding traveller.

The fact that Accor’s 600th hotel is part of the Pullman family is a great symbol of Accor’s future growth in the region, with the group increasingly focused on expansion in the upscale and luxury sector. While Accor launched in Europe in 1967, the group’s first hotel in Asia Pacific - the Novotel Orchid Singapore – opened in 1982. It took Accor 14 years to reach more than 100 hotels in Asia Pacific but from 1997 - 2007 the network tripled in size to over 300. Showing its strong focus on the region, Accor then doubled that network to 600, achieving in just six years what had previously taken 25 years.

Development has now reached record levels, with an average of one Accor hotel opening per week in Asia Pacific. This growth will continue to climb exponentially alongside the growing middle class in the region which is fuelling demand for quality, globally-branded hotel accommodation.