Virtual Office Hosting To Be Provided by NTT Com

NTT Communications Corporation recently announced that it will launch a global hosting service that creates virtual office PC environments which are securely accessible from anywhere in the world using a USB key.

The company has named the service Virtual Office Hosting, and will be provided under the BizCITY model for enterprise services by NTT Communications. The service will be available initially in Hong Kong, Mainland China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam, with future plans for expansion into other regions. Support for the service will be provided in Japanese, English, and Chinese on a 24/7 basis.

Virtual Office Hosting will allow employees to securely replicate the desktop environment from their office computers at home, in a domestic or serviced office, or a shared PC in a hotel business center. All methods of replicating the desktop environment are very secure and work by inserting a personalized “MagicConnect” USB key into a remote PC to access office email as well as run office applications and groupware on a virtual PC hosted with VMware Infrastructure 3 virtualization technology. The technology will be hosted at NTT Com’s data center in Hong Kong. The service options include Microsoft Office, messaging, mail, scheduler, and groupware, antivirus software, data backup, and virtual PC management.

The new Virtual Office Hosting service is designed to meet the needs of the growing increase of mobile workers who require secure access to their office PC while away from the office which includes travel overseas. It is expected that the service will also help companies to reduce costs of their ICT resources by providing secure environments that ensure ongoing global business.

VMware solutions can be deployed rapidly by service providers such as NTT Communications as the foundation for virtual office services. NTT Communications’ successful launch of its new services demonstrates the critical role of VMwares VDC-OS in transforming the datacenter into a cloud environment that addresses the demands for flexibility, speed and resiliency in their IT systems by companies and workers.

NTT Communications Corporation (NTT Com) provides information and communications technology (ICT) solutions worldwide with professionals stationed in 21 countries. Renowned as an IPv6 technology pioneer and managed service expert, NTT Com offers diverse high-quality IP, Web-based, and managed network solutions combining network management, security, ubiquitous, Web portals/engines, and global services.

Lanson Place Hospitality to Manage Two New Serviced Apartment Properties

Lanson Place Hospitality Management Limited, a Hong Kong based wholly-owned subsidiary of USI Holdings Limited, recently announced that it has signed two new management contracts for serviced apartment properties in Kuala Lumpur and Shanghai. The new serviced apartment properties are known as Lanson Place Bukit Ceylon in Kuala Lumpur and Lanson Place in Jin Qiao in Shanghai.

Lanson Place Bukit Ceylon is located within walking distance from the Central Business District Golden Triangle in Kuala Lumpur and will provide approximately 100 serviced apartment units with two and three bedrooms. The project is expected to be complete by the middle of the year 2011.

Lanson Place Jin Qiao is located in Pudong Green City, Shanghai and is within close proximity to Lujiazhui Central Business District, Zhangiang Hi-Tech Park, and Expo Shanghai Park. Nearby are the Pudong International Airport and the site of the planned Disney Amusement Park. The facility will offer 203 fully-furnished serviced apartments with one and two bedrooms and is expected to be complete by the fourth quarter of this year.

The two new management contracts on the serviced apartment properties have strengthen the position of Lanson Place Hospitality in the Asian hospitality sector. Following the acquisition of these contracts, the company plans to manage two additional serviced apartment properties in Shanghai. One of the serviced apartment properties will target senior expatriate managers with the other property targeting middle expatriate managers. The company also plans to seek further opportunities to manage serviced apartments throughout Asia.

Lanson Place Hospitality Management Limited has been successful in developing a well-established network of high-end boutique hotel and serviced apartments in key gateway cities in Asia. The company currently manages on boutique hotel in Hong Kong and five serviced apartment properties in Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur.

Recently Lanson Place opened Central Park residences in Beijing which offers 105 high-end residential serviced apartments to senior expatriates. The company is a member of the Wing Tai Asia Group, a leading property developer and lifestyle company in Asia, which is renowned for producing quality high-end properties.

For additional information on accommodations at Lanson Place properties and accommodations in China, log onto Move and Stay at www.moveandstay.com.cn

Shama Management Limited of Hong Kong Expands Into India

Shama Management Limited, a leading serviced apartment provider in Hong Kong, recently announced that it will manage its first serviced apartment property in Bengaluru. The new serviced apartment property is currently being developed by Harvest Hospitality, a Bengaluru-based property development company.

The new property, situated near Bellandur Lake, will offer 136 serviced apartments and is expected to near completion by the third quarter of 2009. Shama Management is also in the process of seeking other locations throughout the country to expand its portfolio into the India market.

Further plans include building a portfolio of 1000 serviced apartments in India within the next three to five years. The plans will involve targeting gateway, tier one, and tier two cities for the development of serviced apartments. The company is currently in negotiations with several sources to develop a serviced apartment property in Pune.

Shama Management Limited was established in 1996 when it introduced the first serviced apartment facility in Hong Kong. By 2001, the Shama brand was well established and has since become the leading provider of boutique serviced apartments in the Hong Kong real estate market with properties located in prime commercial and residential districts.

In 2006, Morgan Stanley Real Estate acquired a majority interest in Shama Management Limited, with Gaw Capital as a secondary shareholder. Shama first entered the mainland China market in 2007 with Shama Luxe Serviced Apartments at Xintiandi in Shanghai. The company is currently operating ten serviced apartment properties in Hong Kong and mainland China with several more properties planned for additional cities in China as well as gateway cities across Asia.

Shama Management Limited has close to 40 serviced apartment properties planned across China by the year 2010. The growth plan is influenced by the network of expertise available from its partners at Morgan Stanley and Gaw Capital.

You can learn more about Shama accommodations by logging onto Move and Stay at www.moveandstay.com.cn.

Portman Breaks Ground on Mixed-Use Development in Shanghai

John Portman & Associates, an internationally recognized architectural and engineering firm, recently broke ground on the Jian Ye Li mixed-use development in Shanghai. The new development will offer for-sale residential, serviced apartments, retail and restaurant facilities.

The Jian Ye Li development occupies 193,750 square feet of property and is a re-use development that will retain its original architecture while the interior is modernized and refurbished. The new mixed-use development will provide an international destination for visitors to experience the culture and history of Shanghai.

The new Jian Ye Li mixed-use development will be comprised of 51 residential units, 40,000 square feet of retail space, and 50 serviced apartment units. Construction of the project is expected to be complete by September of 2010 with a price tag of approximately $105 million.

Jian Ye Li was originally constructed as a housing project for low-income families who worked for the Jian Ye Li Construction Company. The development will be refurbished in an effort to revitalize a neglected section of the picturesque French Concession district. Residential, serviced apartment units and retail spaces will be constructed as a result of the dismantling of the East portion of the site during the first phase of the project.

The new-mixed use development will include an iconic water tower that is part of the original 1928 drawings and will include copper lattice work with original Jian Ye Li brick material. Since the original design of the water tower is unknown, Portman & Associates plans to create a modern version.

Portman & Associates currently has 16 projects in Shanghai underway that include retail, residential, serviced apartment, and commercial facilities. The company employs a team of more than 40 professionals and offices in Atlanta, Georgia and Shanghai, China. Established in 1953, Portman has over 50 years of expertise in designing hotels, serviced apartments, universities, serviced offices, trade marts, and mixed-use urban complexes all around the world.

Portman’s Shanghai office, John Portman & Associates International, was established in 1993 and was one of the first foreign architectural firms to do work in China. The Shanghai office has been paramount in facilitating the design of numerous projects in China. Projects include large mixed-use projects, cultural centers, stand-alone serviced office towers, hotels, serviced apartments, marts, and large residential developments built in the cities of Shanghai, Beijing, Dalian, Tianjin, Wuxi, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Nanjing, Shenzhen, Ningbo, and Jinan.

For additional information on accommodations in Shanghai, log onto Move and Stay at www.moveandstay.com.cn .

Oakwood Worldwide Launches Serviced Apartments in Hangzhou

Oakwood Worldwide, a leading provider of serviced apartments, has launched Oakwood Residence Hangzhou, China. The new project is the first international serviced apartment brand in the city of Hangzhou.

Oakwood Residence Hangzhou offers a wide variety of serviced apartments that range from studios to three-bedroom units. Each unit includes a fully-equipped kitchen, washer and dryer, high speed broadband Internet, 24-hour security, concierge, daily housekeeping, and both direct and switchboard telephone lines. Tenants have access to a restaurant and bar, fitness center with indoor swimming pool, Wi-Fi, and a business center.

The new serviced apartment complex is located within close proximity to high end serviced office space, Europe America Center (EAC), the Yellow Dragon Commercial Circle, prime retail outlets and 380 upscale condominiums. The Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport and Hangzhou Central Railway Station is nearby, as well as the Hangzhou International School. Move and Stay at www.moveandstay.com.cn has information on accommodations and availability in Oakwood Residence Hangzhou serviced apartments.

Oakwood residence Hangzhou marks the ninth property by Oakwood to open in China. The company currently has expansion plans underway which will increase Oakwood’s portfolio to nearly 2000 units across five cities by 2010. Oakwood currently has serviced apartment developments in Beijing and Guangzhou. Oakwood partnered with Jianong Real Estate to construct the Oakwood Residence Hangzhou.

Serviced apartments have become the preferred option for accommodation in many Asian cities because they provide short and long-term stays for business and leisure travelers with five-star hotel services in a more comfortable and home-style atmosphere.

Oakwood has had long standing relationships with Fortune Global 500 companies who rely on Oakwood to handle their accommodation needs. This is due to Oakwood’s “gold standard” of service excellence in its serviced apartment properties throughout the world.
A division of Oakwood Worldwide, Oakwood Asia Pacific manages Asia's finest serviced apartments for business and leisure travelers in China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea and Thailand. An additional 26 properties are scheduled to open by 2011 in strategic locations across Asia Pacific. Oakwood Asia Pacific operates Oakwood Premier, Oakwood Residence and Oakwood Apartments with Oakwood Premier Resorts and Oakwood Resorts coming soon.

KF Development Creates New Brand of Green Serviced Apartments

KF Development, a private company and provider of serviced apartments, has created its first brand of eco-friendly serviced apartments in Hong Kong, The Atria Green residences.

The Atria Green Residences has been created by KF Development in a tong lau which is an old Chinese tenement building and is expected to be ready by the end of January 2009. The penthouses are part of a five-story building erected in 1968, and mark a flagship project for a new brand of green serviced apartments by KF Development.

The new serviced apartments in the tong lau duplex will contain a roof equipped with an environmentally friendly green roof system as well as a layer of vegetation on the floor to provide an environment representative of a garden which will absorb the sun. This type of infrastructure will insulate the serviced apartments to provide cool temperatures in the summer and warmer temperatures in the winter.

Energy consumption for the residential sector of Hong Kong has experienced an annual growth rate of 5.9 percent which is second to the commercial sector. KF Development has been striving to reduce this rate with energy-saving measures.

The new infrastructure includes solar-powered turf lamps and four photovoltaic solar panels that have been set up in the garden to generate power in the common staircase area. The hybrid system draws electricity from both panels as well as the main grid. The roof will also have passive solar water heaters that will heat water in vacuum tubes for utilization in the serviced apartments.

The furnishings come from sustainable forests and not from companies that are involved with human-rights abuses. The kitchen appliances will carry Grade A energy labels and all lighting will be energy saving. The mosaic tiles that are installed on the walls are made from recycled glass and the ceramic floor tiles come from the mainland which reduces transportation miles as well as carbon emissions.

In the future, KF Development Company plans to construct a vertical green exterior wall in the form of a trellis system and run cables along the side to train vegetation to climb up them. This effort will help to keep the serviced apartment building cool as well as add to the ambiance and architecture.

Move and Stay at www.moveandstay.com.cn has more information on green accommodations and corporate housing in Hong Kong.

Ascott Awarded Contract to Manage Serviced Apartments in Raffles City Beijing

The Ascott Group, a worldwide leading serviced apartment provider, was recently awarded a contract to manage another serviced apartment residence in Beijing, the Ascott Beijing Raffles City. The new serviced apartment complex represents the Ascott Group’s fifth property in Beijing and is expected to open during the second half of 2009.

The Ascott Beijing Raffles City will offer 175 serviced apartment units situated in a mixed use development consisting of a retail facility, serviced office tower, and serviced apartment residences. The complex will be located in the heart of the Dongzhimen Dongcheng District and nearby to the embassy district where several embassies and over 500 foreign enterprises are located.

Dongzhimen is the name of one of the gates in the old city walls of Beijing and is currently a major transportation hub in Beijing with links to Airport Expressway. The Beijing subway has a station at Dongzhimen, where Lines 2 and 13 connect and line 13 has its eastern terminal at Dongzhimen.

The new serviced apartment complex will be located within close proximity to the primary transportation hub and about twenty minutes by railway to the Bejing airport. Nearby is the Forbidden City, a wide variety of dining and leisure facilities and the renowned Sanlitun nightlife area.

The Ascott Beijing Raffles City will be the Group's fifth Ascott-branded serviced apartment residence property in China. The other four properties include Ascott Beijing, Ascott Shanghai Pudong, Ascott Guangzhou, and Ascott Shenzhen Maillen which is scheduled to open in 2010.

Other new Ascott serviced apartment properties in China that will open within the next two years are Citadines Xi'an Gaoxin, Citadines Wuhan Zhuankou and Somerset Heping, Shenyang. This will expand Ascott’s portfolio to over 5,000 units in 26 properties in 12 cities across China. Move and Stay at www.moveandstay.com.cn has information on accommodations availability for these properties.

The Ascott Group is the world's largest international serviced apartment residence provider with more than 18,000 operating serviced apartment units in key cities of Asia Pacific, Europe and the Gulf region and 7,000 units which are currently under development, making a total of over 25,000 units.