Ascott Wins Golden Dragon Award for Best Serviced Residence

CapitaLand's wholly-owned serviced residence business unit, The Ascott Limited, has won the prestigious Golden Dragon Award for Best Serviced Residence. The Golden Dragon Award honours top foreign direct investment enterprises that have made significant contributions to Vietnam's economic development, and recognises outstanding achievements in brand, service and management excellence. This is the sixth year that Ascott has garnered the Golden Dragon Award.

Winners of the annual Golden Dragon Award are selected based on votes by readers of Vietnam Economic Times magazine and the organising board under stringent criteria. The board consists of leaders from key public agencies such as Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Finance, State Bank of Vietnam, Union of Vietnam Scientific and Technological Associations and Vietnam Economic Times.

Besides the Golden Dragon Award for Best Serviced Residence, Ascott's Somerset Chancellor Court serviced residence in Ho Chi Minh City, has been recognised for its contribution to the city's development with the Certificate of Merit – Excellent Achievement in 2012 granted by the Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee.

Mr Graham Black, Ascott's Country General Manager for Vietnam, said: "Ascott pioneered the serviced residence industry in Vietnam in 1994 with the opening of Somerset West Lake Hanoi. Today, we are the country's largest international serviced residence owner-operator with over 1,800 apartment units across 13 properties in four cities. We could not have achieved our growth without local support. Therefore, we strongly believe in giving back to the community where we operate. Our staff and residents are regularly involved in community and environmental initiatives that aim to make a positive difference locally. These awards inspire us to do even more in defining global living as we continue to seek opportunities to expand our presence in the country."

Beyond catering to the needs of expatriates and travellers in Vietnam, Ascott has embarked on various special projects – donating school supplies to underprivileged children from the Thien Duyen Orphanage and Society Patronage Centre and students from Tan Hung A Primary School, as well as planting trees in Soc Trang Province and Ba Vi National Park to stem soil erosion affecting the local community. Ascott also organises blood donation drives and a monthly Ascott Earth Day at its serviced residences.

At Ascott, its premium serviced residences combine prime location, space, comfort and privacy with excellent amenities and personalised services with a local touch. In Vietnam, guests can experience Ascott's award-winning hospitality at four properties in Ho Chi Minh City – Somerset Chancellor Court, Somerset Ho Chi Minh City, Somerset Vista and Vista Residences, and four properties in Hanoi – Somerset Grand Hanoi, Somerset Hoa Binh, Somerset West Lake and Hoa Binh Green. The company will also be opening more properties in Vietnam over the next few years. These properties are Diamond Island Residences in 2013, Somerset Central TD Hai Phong City in 2014, Somerset Danang Bay and Diamond Island Luxury Residences in 2015 and Somerset West Central Hanoi in 2016.

For reservations or more information, please visit www.somerset.com, call (84-4) 3934 2342 (Hanoi) / (84-8) 38228899 (Ho Chi Minh City), or email enquiry.hanoi@the-ascott.com / enquiry.hochiminh@the-ascott.com.

About The Ascott Limited
The Ascott Limited is a Singapore company that has grown to be the world's largest international serviced residence owner-operator. It has more than 22,000 operating serviced residence units in key cities of Asia Pacific, Europe and the Gulf region, as well as over 8,000 units which are under development, making a total of more than 31,000 units in over 200 properties.

The company operates three brands – Ascott, Citadines and Somerset. Its portfolio spans over 70 cities across more than 20 countries, 14 of which are new cities in Ascott's portfolio where its serviced residences are being developed.

Ascott, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CapitaLand Limited, pioneered Asia Pacific's first international-class serviced residence with the opening of The Ascott Singapore in 1984. In 2006, it established the world's first Pan-Asian serviced residence real estate investment trust, Ascott Residence Trust. Today, the company boasts a 29-year industry track record and award-winning serviced residence brands that enjoy recognition worldwide.

Ascott's achievements have been recognised internationally. Recent awards include DestinAsian Readers' Choice Awards 2013 for 'Best Serviced Apartment/Residence Operator', TTG Travel Awards 2012 for 'Best Serviced Residence Operator', TTG China Travel Awards 2012 for 'Best Serviced Residence Operator in China', Business Traveller Asia-Pacific Awards 2012 for 'Best Serviced Residence Brand' and 'Best Serviced Residence in Asia-Pacific', and Business Traveller UK Awards 2012 for 'Best Serviced Apartment Company'.

Visit http://www.the-ascott.com for more information and connect with us on social media at www.the-ascott.com/connect.

About CapitaLand Limited
CapitaLand is one of Asia's largest real estate companies. Headquartered and listed in Singapore, the company's businesses in real estate and real estate fund management are focused on its core markets of Singapore and China.

The company's diversified real estate portfolio primarily includes homes, offices, shopping malls, serviced residences and mixed developments. The company also has one of the largest real estate fund management businesses with assets located in Asia. CapitaLand leverages its significant asset base, real estate domain knowledge, product design and development capabilities, active capital management strategies and extensive market network to develop real estate products and services in its markets.

The listed entities of the CapitaLand Group include Australand, CapitaMalls Asia, Ascott Residence Trust, CapitaCommercial Trust, CapitaMall Trust, CapitaMalls Malaysia Trust, CapitaRetail China Trust and Quill Capita Trust.