Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts is one of the world's leading operators of upscale & luxury hotels. Founded in 1971 by Robert Kuok, the group now boasts several brands, and although it remains mainly present in Asia (especially in China), it operates prestigious addresses in many other destinations.
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Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts is a group of upscale & luxury hotels listed in Hong Kong which was founded in 1971 in Singapore by Robert Kuok. The chain derives its name from the lost paradise described in James Hilton's novel Lost Horizon: the idea of its founder was to turn the Shangri-La hotels into an enchanted world isolated from external noise, allowing its visitors to find inner peace.
Shangri-La benefited from the rapid Asian expansion of the 1980s (up to 10% annual growth). Many fortunes emerged, and with them a high-end & luxury hotel market. This was particularly true in China, where Shangri-La now operates more than 50 hotels. It should be noted that their positioning is rather upscale whereas in other markets and in Europe in particular, the brand's hotels have a luxury & palace positioning.
Today, the Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts group operates several brands: its flagship brand Shangri-La (Shangri-La Hotels, Shangri-La Resorts), Traders Hotels, Kerry Hotels and its latest addition, Hotels Jen, a mid-range brand launched in mid-2014. At the end of 2016, the group also formed a partnership with the Indian Taj Hotels to pool their respective loyalty programmes.
In 2017, the group passed the threshold of 100 hotels in operation under its banners worldwide and announced the arrival of Oliver Bonke as President and COO of the group. With 41,037 rooms, Shangri-La is the world's 31st largest hotel group, and is one of the leading players in the upscale & luxury segment.
