Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts is one of the world’s premier hotel ownership and management companies.  Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts is the trade name of Shangri-La Asia Limited’s management arm. 

The Kuok Group, a diversified and dynamic business conglomerate with origins in Malaysia, has a major equity holding in Shangri-La Asia, which is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.  Established by Robert Kuok, the group’s business operations span a range of activities and a number of countries in Asia.  In addition to hotels, the group’s portfolio also includes commodity trading, real estate, beverages, logistics, shipping, edible oil refining and plantations.

Inspired by the legendary land featured in James Hilton’s novel Lost Horizon published in 1933, the name Shangri-La encapsulates the serenity and service for which Shangri-La is renowned worldwide.  The group operates Shangri-La, Kerry, Hotel Jen and Traders branded properties. Shangri-La properties are primarily five-star deluxe city centre and resort hotels with the majority of the city centre hotels having over 500 guestrooms, whereas the resort properties tend to be smaller.  Kerry Hotels are designed to appeal to business travellers who prefer a vibrant and relaxed environment without compromising on service or quality.  The hotels are contemporary in style and provide a seamless link between business, entertainment and recreation. Extensive leisure facilities serve as a social hub for both hotel guests and the local community. Hotel Jen is a diverse collection of hotels in the best locations across Asia Pacific, with a unique brand of style and service delivery designed to appeal to a ‘New Jeneration’ of travellers. 

Shangri-La’s tradition of service excellence started with the opening of the Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore in 1971. The hotel’s 15 acres of landscaped gardens, beautifully appointed guest rooms and gracious Asian style set a new standard for hotel excellence, which to this day continues to guide the group’s design features.

Training is Shangri-La's top priority and significant resources are allocated annually to ensure employees have the skills and knowledge to be the best in their fields.  This has earned the group international awards and recognition from guests, prestigious magazines as well as industry partners and made Shangri-La one of the preferred hotel employers, with around 42,000 people serving guests with the philosophy “hospitality from the heart.”

Since its origin, the group has grown rapidly to satisfy the increased demand for deluxe hotels and resorts in Asia Pacific's capital cities and most sought-after leisure destinations.  Today there are more than 95 properties, of which only 20 are third party management agreements, throughout Asia Pacific, Europe, Indian Ocean, North America and the Middle East, representing a room inventory of over 40,000.  In addition, the group has a substantial development pipeline with upcoming projects in Australia, mainland China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka.  

Shangri-La also operates its own dedicated sales and marketing offices: Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul, London, Los Angeles, New York, Sydney and Dubai.  The group is linked to more than 30 frequent flyer programmes and has its own frequent guest recognition programme – Golden Circle. The Golden Circle programme has been acknowledged as being one of the best in the industry with over four million current members. 

The following is a brief chronology of the development of the hotel company: 

 

1971	April	Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore opens (managed by Western International Hotels (now Westin) until January 1983)
1979		Kuok Hotels established to manage three properties:-
		Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa
		Golden Sands Resort
		The Fijian
1981	April	Kowloon Shangri-La opens (managed by Western International Hotels (now Westin) until April 1991)
1984		Shangri-La International Hotel Management Limited assumes management of Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore
	November	Shangri-La Hotel, Hangzhou opens
1985	April	Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur opens
1986	March	Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok opens
	April	Shangri-La Hotel, Penang opens (Rebranded as Traders Hotel, Penang in 2006 and named as Hotel Jen, Penang in November 2014)
	October	Shangri-La Hotel, Beijing opens
1988	December	Shangri-La's Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa, Kota Kinabalu opens
1990	July	China World Hotel, Beijing opens
1991	March	Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong opens
	April	Kowloon Shangri-La, Hong Kong (Shangri-La assumes management)
1992	August	Edsa Shangri-La, Manila opens
	September	Shangri-La Hotel, Shenzhen opens
1993	March	Rasa Sentosa Resort, Singapore opens  (rebranded as Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort & Spa, Singapore in January 2011)
	April	Makati Shangri-La, Manila opens
	October	Shangri-La's Mactan Island Resort & Spa, Cebu opens
1994	March	Shangri-La Hotel, Jakarta opens
	March	Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel, Taipei opens
1995	January	Traders Hotel, Manila opens (rebranded as Hotel Jen Manila in November 2014)
	January	Shangri-La Hotel, Surabaya opens
	April	Traders Hotel, Singapore opens (rebranded as Hotel Jen Singapore in September 2014)
1996	April	Shangri-La Hotel, Beihai opens
	June	Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Resort & Spa, Kota Kinabalu opens
	August	Traders Hotel, Shenyang opens (rebranded as Hotel Jen Shenyang in March 2015)
	August	Shangri-La Hotel, Changchun opens
	November	Traders Hotel, Yangon opens (rebranded as Sule Shangri-La, Yangon in April 2014)
1997	August	Shangri-La Hotel, Qingdao opens
	December	Shangri-La Hotel, Dalian opens
1998	August	Pudong Shangri-La, East Shanghai opens
1999	April	Shangri-La Hotel, Wuhan opens
	May	Shangri-La Hotel, Harbin opens
	August	Shangri-La's Kerry Centre Hotel, Beijing opens (rebranded as Kerry Hotel, Beijing in November 2011)
2003	July	Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney opens with rebranding of ANA Harbour Grand Hotel
	July	Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai opens
2004	August	Shangri-La Hotel, The Marina, Cairns re-branding
2005	January	Traders Fudu Hotel, Changzhou opens
	January	Shangri-La Hotel, Fuzhou opens
	September	Shangri-La's - Eros Hotel, New Delhi opens
2006	February	Shangri-La's Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa, Sultanate of Oman opens
	July	Traders Hotel, Kuala Lumpur opens
	July	Shangri-La Hotel, Suzhou opens
2007	January	Shangri-La Hotel, Guangzhou opens
	May	Shangri-La Hotel, Chengdu opens
	August	Shangri-La Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri Abu Dhabi opens
	September	Shangri-La Hotel, Huhhot opens
	September	Shangri-La Hotel, Xian opens
	November	Shangri-La Hotel, Baotou opens
	December	Shangri-La Hotel, Chiang Mai opens
2008	October	Futian Shangri-La, Shenzhen opens
	November	Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel, Tainan opens
2009	January	Shangri-La Hotel, Wenzhou opens
	January	Shangri-La Hotel,Vancouver opens
	March	Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo opens
	March	Shangri-La's Boracay Resort & Spa, Philippines opens
	July	Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort & Spa, Maldives opens
	August	Traders Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi opens
	August	Shangri-La Hotel, Ningbo opens
2010	March	Shangri-La Hotel, Guilin opens
	August	Traders Hotel, Hong Kong opens (rebranded as Hotel Jen Hong Kong in October 2014)
	August	China World Summit Wing, Beijing opens
	November	Traders Hotel, Male, Maldives opens (rebranded as Hotel Jen Male, Maldives in January 2015)
	December	Shangri-La Hotel, Paris opens
2011	February	Kerry Hotel Pudong, Shanghai opens
	April	Shangri-La Hotel, Manzhouli opens
2012	August	Traders Hotel, Brisbane opens (Shangri-La assumes management in August 2012 Rebranded as Hotel Jen Brisbane in October 2014)
	October	Shangri-La Hotel, Toronto opens
	October	Shangri-La Hotel, Changzhou opens
	November	Shangri-La Hotel, Haikou opens
	December	Shangri-La Hotel, Yangzhou opens
2013	May	Shangri-La Bosphorus, Istanbul opens
	June	Traders Hotel, Puteri Harbour, Johor, Malaysia opens           (rebranded as Hotel Jen Puteri Harbour, Johor in April 2015)
	June	Jing An Shangri-La, West Shanghai opens
	August	Shangri-La Hotel, Qufu opens
	August	Shangri-La Hotel, Shenyang opens
2014	April	Shangri-La Hotel, Lhasa opens
	May	Shangri-La Hotel, London opens
	August	Shangri-La Hotel, Tianjin opens
	August	Introduction of Hotel Jen Brand
	August	Shangri-La assumes management of Le Touessrok Resort & Spa, Mauritius
	September	Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Singapore opens
	October	Shangri-La's Sanya Resort & Spa, Hainan opens
	October	Shangri-La Hotel, Nanjing opens
2015	February	Shangri-La Hotel, Nanchang opens
	May	Shangri-La Hotel, Qinhuangdao opens
	June	Shangri-La Hotel, Ulaanbaatar opens
	June	Shangri-La Hotel, Hefei opens
	August	Hylandia by Shangri-La opens (Renamed as Shangri-La Resort, Shangri-La in December 2017)
	August	Shangri-La Hotel, Tangshan opens
	September	Shangri-La Hotel, Bengaluru opens
	November	Shangri-La’s Le Touessrok Resort & Spa, Mauritius opens
	December	Shangri-La Hotel, Doha opens
2016	March	Shangri-La at the Fort, Manila opens
	March	Midtown Shangri-La, Hangzhou opens
	June	Shangri-La’s Hambantota Resort & Spa opens
2017	January	Songbei Shangri-La, Harbin opens
	April	Kerry Hotel, Hong Kong opens
	May	Hotel Jen Beijing opens
	June	Shangri-La Hotel, Yiwu opens
	November	Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo opens
	November	Shangri-La Hotel, Xiamen opens
	December	Shangri-La Hotel, Jinan opens

Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, one of the world’s premier hotel management companies, currently operates over 100 hotels in 22 countries and 76 destinations under the Shangri-La, Kerry, Hotel Jen and Traders brands.  Prominently positioned in Asia, the group has established its brand hallmark of “hospitality from the heart” over four decades in Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Europe, North America and the Indian Ocean.  The group has a substantial development pipeline with upcoming projects in Australia, mainland China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.  For more information, please visit www.shangri-la.com.