TUNE HOTELS SCORES BIG IN INDONESIA | Named among 20 Most Innovative Brands

KUALA LUMPUR, 8 June 2011– Despite its currently limited presence in Indonesia with only two hotels in Bali, Tune Hotels has joined the big boys' league when it was named among the Top 20 Indonesia Innovative Brands 2011 by the country's leading marketing communications magazine, MIX, in its May issue.

Positioned at No. 9, Tune Hotels stands side-by-side with world-renowned international brands such as BlackBerry, Tupperware, Nissan, 7-Eleven and Pizza Hut as well as home-grown Indonesian giants including the BCA Bank, Bank Danamon, Holcim cement, Ancol EcoPark, Kompas.com and telcos like Esia and XL.

Tune Hotels was the only Malaysian-originated brand on the list. This was the second accolade for Tune Hotels this year after its Westminster hotel in London was awarded a Certificate of Excellence the world's largest travel website TripAdvisor last month, as a "result of consistently great feedback" from the hotel guests.

Tune Hotels Group CEO Mark Lankester said: "We are very encouraged by the recognition from MIX. Our presence in Indonesia currently might be confined to only two hotels in Bali but this did not stop us from getting into the radar of keen industry observers and marketing professionals who have found us to be highly innovative. To be ranked ninth among in the largest market in Southeast Asia certainly speaks volumes of Tune Hotels' service proposition and quality. We are very proud to be the only Malaysian brand on such a reputable list."

Lankester added that the company would be adding more hotels in the vast archipelago within the next year. The upcoming Tune Hotels are scheduled for opening in Jakarta, Pekanbaru, Makassar, Surabaya and Palembang throughout 2012.

In its review, MIX attributed Tune Hotels' innovativeness to its ability to serve the practical needs of tourists by giving them the best value. Apart from affordable room rates, Tune Hotels also accommodates tourists who just need a room to "sleep and go", it said.

MIX also cited Tune Hotels' online booking system as well as the usage of wall spaces within the hotel premises for advertising for its innovativeness. It noted that the whole process of innovation from room booking, utilization of facilities and its infrastructure planning was very well-planned and economic-oriented.

"The innovation is not just incremental but actually radical. Tune Hotels has transformed not one or two, but all aspects of the hotel services. This is called architectural innovation that has transformed the whole structure of the business building right from value proposition, target consumers, revenue model up to value configuration," said Janoe Arijanto, President Director of communication agency Dentsu Strat Indonesia who sat of the judging panel.

"Tune Hotels has drastically changed the mainstream hotel business and introduced a totally new service pattern. Budget hotels have now become a category of its own and one of the main catalysts of growth of this model has been Tune Hotels," added Arijanto.

Meanwhile, another jury, chief creative officer of OMG Creative Consultant, Yoris Sebastian noted: "Tune Hotels in Bali is a perfect example of radical innovation in a perfect place, offering very affordable prices with luxurious beds. Many people were surprised when I told them the story of Tune Hotels in my seminars. I hope Tune Hotels would continue to do more innovation and wow the customers in order to create positive word-of-mouth."

Tune Hotels service offering focuses on 5-star beds, powerful showers, central and convenient locations, clean environment and 24-hour security.

Tune Hotels currently has 12 operating properties including nine in Malaysia that are located in Kuala Lumpur, KLIA-LCCT Airport, Kota Damansara, Penang, Johor Bahru, Kuching, Bintulu, Kota Kinabalu and Kota Bharu; two in Bali, Indonesia (Kuta and Legian) and one in London.

Tune Hotels rooms can be booked online at www.tunehotels.com. Since the removal of admin fee in January, guests can further save 20% if they purchase the Comfort Package that includes towels, toiletries and air condition credits. They can enjoy even more savings of 30% with Plus Package that bundles television and in-room wifi.

Stay tuned for real-time updates and promotions via Facebook at www.facebook.com/tunehotels and on Twitter via www.twitter.com/tunehotels.

Photos can be downloaded from www.flickr.com/tunehotels.