The Shangri-La Tibet will join the company’s existing portfolio of 37 hotels in mainland China, with a further 16 in the pipeline.

　　Scheduled to welcome its first guests on 17 April 2014, the Shangri-La Hotel Lhasa will be a 289-room hotel located in the centre of the Tibetan capital. Designed to reflect traditional Tibetan architecture, the centrepiece of the new property will be a 6.5-metre bell-like chandelier, designed to resemble a Tibetan prayer wheel.

　　"Shangri-La is delighted to announce a new project in the Himalayas, which will support development efforts in the region. The tourism and hospitality industry will bring greater prosperity to Tibet and we are proud that Shangri-La Hotel, Lhasa can be part of that growth," said Greg Dogan, president and chief executive officer of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts.

　　Among the hotel’s 289 rooms are 10 long-stay apartments, all with free Wi-Fi, while the hotel will also include a range of dining venues and recreational facilities. Among the F&B options are restaurants specialising in Tibetan and Chinese cuisine, and an outdoor tapas bar which overlooks Lhasa’s most famous landmark, the Potala Palace.

　　There is also an oxygen lounge designed to help guests acclimatise to the altitude in Lhasa, which lies 3,650 metres above sea-level.

　　There will be two pavilions built by Tibetan craftsmen housing a spa, gym, an indoor swimming pool, while the corporate market will be catered to with a range of meeting rooms ranging from 81-1,215m².

　　The Shangri-La Tibet will join the company’s existing portfolio of 37 hotels in mainland China, with a further 16 in the pipeline.