Sofitel has extended its strong commitment to professional golf tours worldwide, signing a landmark agreement with the Asian Tour to become an Official Corporate Partner and the first Official Hotel Brand for the Tour.
 
This marks the first time that the Asian Tour, regarded as the fastest growing Tour in the world, has sealed a partnership with a major international hotel group. The agreement, which takes immediate effect, will accommodate the region's top golfers in Sofitel branded properties in Asia through the end of 2008.
 
This is proving a breakout year for the Asian Tour, with 27 events offering an all-time high of US$27 million in total prize money to the region's stars. The second half of the Asian Tour season will resume with the Iskandar Johor Open from August 23-26 in Malaysia, with 11 more events slated until December before the prestigious Asian Tour's UBS Order of Merit crown is decided.
 
Asian Tour Senior Vice President Gerry Norquist believes that the partnership with Accor will provide multiple opportunities for both organisations to grow in tandem.
 
"We are proud and honoured to welcome Sofitel on board as our Official Corporate Partner and Official Hotel of the Asian Tour. This is a significant development for the Asian Tour and it goes hand in hand with our objectives to build a sound commercial platform for the Tour to sustain our growth," said Norquist.
 
"Sofitel is a world renowned hotel brand and this new partnership is a wonderful reflection of the confidence Accor Asia Pacific has placed upon the Asian Tour."
 
Sofitel will receive significant exposure via the Asian Tour's commercial media platforms which includes the official website, www.asiantour.com, Asian Tour Weekly magazine show, which is beamed on ESPN StarSports, and on-course branding opportunities.
 
Ray Stone, Accor Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing, Asia Pacific said: "We are delighted to forge this important new alliance with the Asian Tour. Sofitel and golf are a natural combination in Asia, especially in countries like Thailand, Vietnam and China where the brand enjoys a leadership position in the market.
 
"The Asian Tour sponsorship is a perfect fit for Sofitel, as it is the fastest growing luxury hotel brand in Asia and the tour is the rising star in professional golf. We believe the Asian Tour will continue to grow in popularity and become one of the world's most significant golf tours given the dramatic rise of Asian golf stars in America and Europe."
 
Sofitel is also heavily involved with golf in Europe, where the brand is a major partner of the prestigious Evian Masters in France. In addition, Sofitel Thalassa Miramar in Biarritz is a long-term sponsor of France's oldest and most important amateur competition, the Biarritz Cup, first played in 1898. In 2006 it was renamed the Sofitel Biarritz Cup.
 
In Asia, Sofitel operates the Sofitel Dalat Palace & Golf Club in Vietnam, Phokeethra Country Club in Siem Reap, Cambodia and Sofitel Palm Resort and Palm Resort Golf & Country Club in Malaysia. In China, it manages the Sofitel Boa & BFA International Convention Centre Golf Club on Hainan Island, the 27-hole Gary Player designed golf course at Sofitel Zhongshan Golf and Resort Nanjing and Hill View Golf Club next to Sofitel Royal Lagoon Executive Resort in Dongguan in the Pearl River Delta region.

Sofitel: premium hotels around the world
 
Because no one country or city is the same, Sofitel has made each of its hotels around the world a truly unique establishment. Combining the spirit of each place with the values of modernity, refinement and absolute comfort, they are all imbued in their inimitable way with the French "art de vivre".

Whether their setting is a great business metropolis like Paris, New York or Bangkok, or nestling in the landscape in Indonesia, Polynesia or Brazil, each Sofitel hotel offers travelers a genuine haven of peace. So that each guest, for an overnight stay or longer, during a business trip or for a holiday, can enjoy the rich variety of these unique places in comfort and tranquility.
 
Accor, the European leader in hotels and tourism, and a global leader in corporate services, operates in nearly 100 countries with 166,000 employees. It offers to its individual and corporate clients 40 years of expertise in its two core businesses:

- Hotels, with the Sofitel, Novotel, Mercure, Suitehotel, Ibis, All Seasons, Etap Hotel, Formule 1 and Motel 6 brands: around 3.800 hotels and 450,000 rooms in 90 countries, as well as strategically related activities, such as Lenôtre ;

- Services to corporate clients and public institutions: 23 million people in 35 countries benefit from Accor Services products (human resources, marketing services, expense management).
 
About the Asian Tour

The Asian Tour is the official regional sanctioning body for professional golf in Asia. The mission of the Asian Tour is to expand tournament golf so as to substantially enhance the careers of its members, thereby developing and growing golf in Asia while maintaining a commitment to the integrity of the game. The Asian Tour, through its membership of the International Federation of PGA Tours, is the only recognised pan-Asian professional golf tour in Asia. This unique feature positions the Asian Tour at the pinnacle of professional golf in Asia; providing its events with Official World Golf Ranking status.

http://www.bunkershot.com/2007/viewstory.cfm?ID=4794

Remote Lands, Inc., America's only provider of luxury bespoke travel and private jet journeys focused exclusively on Asia, is pleased to announce tailor-made golf journeys to Asia. Travelers can play Asia's most exciting courses while enjoying insider connections that only Remote Lands offers. Private access to the region's finest courses, as well as the opportunity to learn and play with highly-regarded local golf professionals, is just part of Remote Lands' golf journeys. The company matches clients' preferred destinations and desired level of play to the perfect courses and hotels, resorts or private villas, to create an unforgettable experience. While golf will be the focus of the journey, Remote Lands also provides unparalleled access to a wealth of cultural and culinary experiences in each destination to give travelers the opportunity to immerse themselves in the local surroundings. Remote Lands' bespoke Asian golf journeys begin at approximately $1,500 per person per day, non-inclusive of international airfare, private jet charters, helicopters, and personal staff including chefs, trainers, instructors, and other professionals.

New York, NY (PRWEB) August 6, 2007 — Remote Lands, Inc., America's only provider of luxury bespoke travel and private jet journeys focused exclusively on Asia, is pleased to announce tailor-made golf journeys to Asia. Travelers can play Asia's most exciting courses while enjoying insider connections that only Remote Lands offers. Private access to the region's finest courses, as well as the opportunity to learn and play with highly-regarded local golf professionals, is just part of Remote Lands' golf journeys. The company matches clients' preferred destinations and desired level of play to the perfect courses and hotels, resorts or private villas, to create an unforgettable experience. While golf will be the focus of the journey, Remote Lands also provides unparalleled access to a wealth of cultural and culinary experiences in each destination to give travelers the opportunity to immerse themselves in the local surroundings. Remote Lands' bespoke Asian golf journeys begin at approximately $1,500 per person per day, non-inclusive of international airfare, private jet charters, helicopters, and personal staff including chefs, trainers, instructors, and other professionals.

Golf experiences can be planned throughout Asia, including trips to China, Indonesia, India and Malaysia. Other noteworthy golf destinations include Vietnam, Burma, the Philippines, as well as Bhutan, location of the world's highest golf course. The Royal Thimpu Golf Club is the host of the Yak Open tournament which awards yak parts as prizes. Remote Lands can arrange for their clients to play golf at Bali's top-rated golf club, the Nirwana Bali Golf Club, or at the Handara Kosaido Country Club, where the course is located inside an extinct volcano. Golfers may play rounds at the largest golf club in the world, Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China. Mission Hills boasts 12 championship courses, each designed by noted golf professionals including Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman and Nick Faldo, and offers 216 holes in all. Players may also schedule a tee time at the Bangpoo Country Club, just outside Bangkok, Thailand for a round of golf on the Arnold Palmer-designed course. Golf can be played in the Vietnamese highlands, where the country's top-ranked club, the Dalat Palace Golf Club, is located. In the Philippines, Remote Lands can arrange for golfers to tee off on the Arnold Palmer-designed course at the Orchard Golf and Country Club in Cavite before enjoying dinner in the home of a Filipino golf champion.
Throughout each golf journey, travelers can enjoy an array of services and experiences such as dinners with local golf champions and coaches, rounds with the continent's best caddies or even be accompanied by a top international player or coach to play alongside them. Remote Lands can arrange for private tee times and even provide the opportunity for their clients to be the only people playing the course at a given time. Personalized golf clubs and wardrobes, as well as a golf cart of choice, are just a few of the special services Remote Lands can provide for their clients.

In addition to golf, Remote Lands immerses their clients in the most extraordinary of cultural experiences. These include a private dinner with a Balinese Prince and his family in their royal palace, including a performance by Balinese singers and dancers. After a long day of golf, guests can experience a tooth filing ceremony, an ancient ritual believed to ward off evil spirits and negative energy, in a rural Balinese village. Another option in Bali is witnessing fascinating Kecak fire dance performances (on hot coals, where the entranced dancer feels no pain) and a Sanghyang dance traditionally performed as an exorcism to promote peace and health within a village. In Thailand, golfers can spend an afternoon participating in the ordination ceremony of a young monk, followed by a dinner hosted by members of the Thai Royal Family in their home. Private cooking lessons in the homes of Vietnamese fishermen or attending a family celebration such as a wedding or religious ceremony are a few of the options available in Vietnam. Dinner with a prominent Bhutanese family can cap off a day of play on the world's highest golf course.

Remote Lands actively promotes socially responsible tourism and donates five percent of its profits directly to local charities in Asian countries for sustainable development tourism projects. The company's aim is to protect and enhance the geographical character of a place — its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage and the well-being of its residents — and to help foster a sense of national identity and pride.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/08/prweb544165.htm