AYANA BECOMES 1ST HOTEL IN BALI TO BE TSUNAMI READY CERTIFIED

Hong Kong, 2 June 2011 – AYANA Resort and Spa has become the first hotel in Bali to be certified as Tsunami Ready, following a comprehensive audit and training program.

Although AYANA's cliff-top location 35 meters above the ocean puts it and its guests at low-risk in case of a tsunami, the hotel wanted to be prepared to take care of guests in case of any emergency.

"We may be considered low-risk because of our cliff-top location, but that is no reason to be complacent," said AYANA's General Manager Charles de Foucault. "This certification will enable us to safeguard our guests and also assist with people from outside the hotel who may come to AYANA to seek refuge on higher ground, in case of a tsunami."

AYANA's 78 private villas and 290-room hotel are located on towering cliffs above Jimbaran Bay, on Bali's south-western peninsula. The award-winning resort occupies 77 hectares of cliff-top land along a 1.3 kilometer coastline. Most of its facilities including the Thermes Marins Bali Spa and 10 different dining venues are located on the cliff-top; beach-front facilities comprise the iconic Rock Bar, Spa on the Rocks treatment villas, Ocean Beach Pool, Kisik seafood restaurant, and secluded Kubu Beach.

Alexander Kesper, senior CIM advisor to the Indonesian Ministry of Culture and Tourism, congratulated AYANA on being the first hotel to achieve certification, despite it not being at high-risk. "AYANA exceeded our standards in terms of safety and evacuation procedures, and as a Tsunami Ready Hotel, AYANA guests can be sure that a well prepared team will take care of them in case of emergency," Alex said. "Significantly, the resort's management showed great initiative as they had already registered for Tsunami Ready certification before the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March. That disaster further drives home the need for other hotels to be prepared, especially those located on beach-front land."

Tsunami Ready is actively supported by Bali Hotels Association and cooperates with the Indonesian Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Association of South East Asian Nations. For more information on what being Tsunami Ready means, go to www.tsunamiready.com.

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About AYANA Resort and Spa
Named after a ‘place of refuge’ in Sanskrit, AYANA is perched on limestone cliffs up to 30 meters above the Indian Ocean near Jimbaran Bay on Bali’s south-western peninsula. The 77-hectare property enjoys majestic views and a secluded location across its 1.3 kilometer coastline, yet is just 15 minutes from Bali’s airport. The 368 guestrooms comprise 78 private pool villas and a 290-room hotel.

Resort highlights include the 22,000sqm Thermes Marins Thalasso spa with one of the world’s largest Aquatonic Seawater Therapy Pools and the Spa on the Rocks villas set amidst the Indian Ocean. There are five purpose-built wedding venues; the avant-garde Champa Garden for grand-scale events; four freshwater swimming pools including a children’s pool; a salt-water, infinity-edged Ocean Beach Pool at the cliff’s base, accessed via an inclinator; 13 dining venues; 18-hole golf putting course; tennis pavilion; jogging/cycling path; fitness center; children’s center; boutiques; comprehensive meeting facilities and business center; and resort-wide WIFI.
Awards include:
2011 & 2010 CONDE NAST TRAVELLER GOLD LIST
World’s Best Hotels and Resorts

2011 DESTINASIAN READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS
#1 Resort Spa in Asia-Pacific
#2 Best Hotel in Bali

2010 CONDE NAST TRAVELLER READERS’ SPA AWARDS
#1 Spa in the World

2010 WORLD TRAVEL AWARDS
Asia’s Leading Luxury Resort
Asia’s Leading Luxury Villa (AYANA Villa)

2010 TRAVEL + LEISURE – WORLD’S BEST HOTEL VALUES
Top 20 Hotels for Value Overall

About The West Paces Hotel Group
The West Paces Hotel Group based in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. was founded in 2002 by Horst Schulze along with several former Ritz-Carlton executives. The principals of the company leverage unparalleled hospitality experience and a diverse track record of operating world-class hotels and resorts to create value through superior service at luxury, world-class properties and conference centers in gateway cities and high-profile resort destinations around the world. West Paces has successfully launched two hotel brands, Capella and Solis, and has dozens of independent brands under its management. Co-Chairman and Founder Horst Schulze has helped reshape concepts of luxury service throughout the hospitality and service industries. As chairman of West Paces Hotel Group, he has created the unparalleled Canon service standards introduced at AYANA. For more information, visit www.westpaceshotels.com.

For interviews/photos, contact:

Dorothy Fung / Alice Li
Impact Asia (HK) Limited
dorothy@impactasia.com/aliceli@impactasia.com
Telephone: +852 2521 1498

Marian Hinchliffe
Director of Public Relations
AYANA Resort and Spa
marian@ayanaresort.com
Telephone: +62 361 702 222