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November 2006 — Raffles Hotels & Resorts has announced the successful
development of Raffles Univirtual, in partnership with Cornell
University and eCornell. Raffles Univirtual will provide top-notch
online education to employees at all Raffles hotels & resorts located
in major cities around the globe and in the world's most sought-after
leisure destinations. Developed by Cornell University's world-
renowned School of Hotel Administration, Johnson Graduate School of
Management, and School of Industrial Relations, managers at Raffles
hotels & resorts will be eligible to earn Certificates from Cornell
University in the fields of Hospitality Management, Foodservice
Management, Financial Management, Proactive Leadership, Executive
Leadership, Supervisory Skills and Human Resources Management.
Raffles Univirtual eCornell courses provide the convenience of
structure and flexibility with round-the-clock/round-the-world
access to course materials, online and telephone customer support,
and dedicated online instructors.
At present, there are several hotels within Raffles Hotels & Resorts
which have identified and selected suitable staff for the enrolment.
General Managers and Division Heads select and identify potential
candidates for the sponsorship, according to their strengths and
qualities. Mr. Tommy Ng, Head of Human Resources, Raffles Hotels &
Resorts said, "This e-learning program will provide a platform for
our employees to expand their knowledge base with a high degree of
time flexibility. Such a commitment to employee development is a
critical part of our corporate strategy." Ms. Diana Ee-Tan, Managing
Director of Raffles Hotels & Resorts and Executive Vice President of
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Asia Pacific, continued, "Our partnership
with eCornell represents our ongoing efforts to uphold one of
Raffles' core values: People Development. We motivate and inspire,
invest in our employees and provide an environment for continuous
learning to achieve and ensure a competitive edge in the hospitality
industry."
To promote this platform internally, staff will be able to access
Raffles Univirtual from myRafflesHotel.com
and links created from Raffles Knowledge Pte Ltd/Raffles International Training
Centre/SPAcademy websites. Mr. Tom Abogabal, eCornell's Director of Global
Accounts added, "eCornell's proven content, high-tech delivery, and
turn-key implementation and integration were all critical factors in
Raffles' decision to enter into partnership with us." Concluded Mr.
Chris Proulx, eCornell's President and Chief Executive Officer,
"eCornell is delighted to partner with Raffles Hotels & Resorts by
providing flexible and effective corporate learning solutions that
meet the training and development needs of such a diverse and growing organization."
About Raffles Knowledge Private Limited
Raffles Knowledge Private Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary and
training arm of Raffles Hotels & Resorts, a name well respected in
the hospitality industry for high standards of quality, award winning
concepts and innovative approaches towards hotel management. Raffles
Knowledge is committed to providing quality hospitality, tourism and
spa education, and it takes pride in offering effective and
innovative learning solutions to build an organisation's human
capital. Raffles Knowledge's integrated expertise includes the
Raffles International Training Centre, Singapore and SPAcademy By
Raffles International. For more information, please visit
www.rkpl.com,
www.ritc.com.sg or
www.spacademy.com.sg
About eCornell
Established and wholly-owned by Cornell University, eCornell has the
most comprehensive online, professional and executive development
curriculum offered by any top-20 university in the United States.
eCornell provides exceptional online learning experiences tailored
for professional and executive development in the areas of strategy,
leadership and management development, human resources, financial
management, and hospitality management. Collaboration between Cornell
faculty experts and learning and user-experience designers provide
for engaging, rigorous, and interactive learning. For more
information, please visit www.ecornell.com.
About Raffles Hotels & Resorts
Raffles is a collection of luxury hotels around the globe that
distinguishes itself through the highest standards of products and
services. Each hotel is a landmark in its respective city and most
are positioned at the top of their local markets. The collection of
legendary hotels includes Raffles Hotel and Raffles The Plaza in
Singapore, Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia, Raffles
Hotel Le Royal, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Raffles L'Ermitage Beverly
Hills in the U.S., Raffles Resort Canouan Island, The Grenadines,
Raffles Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten, Hamburg, Germany and Raffles Le
Montreux Palace, Montreux, Switzerland. In June 2006, Raffles Beijing
Hotel, an iconic landmark in the heart of China's capital, was reopened
after nine months of careful refurbishment. The romance and
splendour of the hotel's regal past returns, Raffles style. Raffles
Hotels & Resorts will open a new Raffles property in Dubai in summer
2007.
Future additions to the Raffles portfolio include a hotel on the
Cotai Strip in Macau, and The Raffles Phang Nga Resort and Residences
in Phuket, comprising 150 rooms and 25 luxury residential villas
overlooking the Andaman Sea. In May 2006, the hotel portfolios of
Raffles Hotels & Resorts and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts were combined
following the acquisition of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts by Kingdom
Hotels International and Colony Capital, transforming the two
companies into a single global enterprise with a vision to become the
world leader in the global hospitality industry.
Ross Pearo
eCornell
(607) 330-3334
rpearo@ecornell.com
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