Hotels are no longer mere venues for business events. Instead, they play a big role in supporting event planners’ content delivery by providing an environment that satisfies attendees’ lifestyle expectations and brings programme ideas to life.
From biophilic design that inspires positive mood and creativity to thoughtful cuisine that answers atteedees’ quest for mindful living, hotels are demonstrating a variety of ways to redefine the business event experience.
Hyatt
Hyatt offers five brand portfolios – Luxury, Lifestyle, Inclusive, Classics, and Essentials – each with a distinct focus. While no single brand is dedicated exclusively to business events, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Alila, Park Hyatt, and Andaz are popular for meetings and events in the Asia-Pacific region.
Grand Hyatt properties are located in key business and convention hubs like Taipei, Hong Kong, and Singapore, offering accessibility, versatile event spaces, and culinary excellence.
Meanwhile, Hyatt Regency hotels, strategically situated in the heart of cities such as Sydney and Tokyo, promise dynamic and flexible spaces, modern workstations, and technology that foster productivity and collaboration.
For corporate groups seeking holistic well-being, the Alila brand offers properties the integrate enriching experiences and a positive community impact into meetings and events programming, from yoga and meditation to sustainably-sourced menus.
Kate Atkinson, vice president of global sales, Hyatt Sales Force, Asia Pacific, said: “We believe meetings should be balanced, engaging and enable authentic connections. Well-being is a key pillar under Together By Hyatt, our event philosophy, and we embed this throughout our event programmes to reflect our commitment to total mindfulness for guests.”
For instance, Hyatt’s wide range of well-being offerings include global partnerships with Headspace for mindfulness and Masterclass for self-development. Hyatt has also collaborated with author Juliet Funt to create a Mindful Meetings Guide, which helps clients make their events more productive by incorporating practices like the 90-minute rule for breaks.
Additionally, Hyatt provides unique amenities to ensure attendees leave feeling refreshed. The Sleep@Hyatt programme in Australia and New Zealand, for example, includes guided meditation and amenity packs, while event Care Stations offer thoughtful items like stress balls and cleansing wipes for guests’ comfort.
Globally, Hyatt has also established a Wellbeing Collective, signifying hotels that developed their own unique experiences to fuel authentic connections, such as silver-crafting workshops with a Balinese artisan at Alila Ubud, or the Four Elements Retreat Experience at Hyatt Regency Hua Hin.
Atkinson added: “We work with planners to bring these elements into event programmes. For example, we will encourage the use of sunrise yoga to start the day or mindfulness sessions as session breaks. Through our food philosophy Carefully Sourced, Thoughtfully Served we also provide guidance on sustainable and healthy menu choices.”
A hotel that exemplifies wellness focus is Grand Hyatt Singapore. Following a massive renovation, the hotel’s reimagined wellness haven, Damai House, now features a hydrotherapy pool and a lawn for yoga and meditation. This facility offers the possibility of group wellness sessions, ranging from vertical Pilates to Body Blueprint consultations that provide detailed body composition analysis.
In February 2025, Hyatt launched the Asia Pacific Meeting and Events Alliance, a new programme designed to streamline multi-year, multi-city event planning for corporate clients across the region. This Alliance, “ has proven incredibly effective at streamlining planning and improving efficiencies”, noted Atkinson.
She noted that the “flexibility and collaboration of the alliance” enabled a a 280-delegate training programme to “swiftly and seamlessly” relocate from one of its Bangkok hotel to a Kuala Lumpur hotel following a natural disaster.
“(This) has since led to the client considering our hotels in Singapore, Taipei, and Hong Kong for future events,” she added. – Rachel AJ Lee
Pan Pacific Hotels Group
Pan Pacific Hotels Group (PPHG) offers three brands – Pan Pacific, Parkroyal Collection, and Parkroyal – in the meetings and events market, with venues of varying sizes and functions built into its properties.
An ongoing global asset enhancement initiative (AEI) project has made event spaces in all its properties a priority. The outcome is a variety of venues that boast sustainable infrastructure in both the back-end and client-facing touch points, memorable sense of place, sensible biophilic design, and advanced audio-visual technology.
PPHG CEO Choe Peng Sum told TTGmice that the goal is to “make every ballroom and events space in all our hotels top-of-the-line through the ongoing global AEI”.
In Australia, a destination that is highly favoured for local, regional and international business events, PPHG has invested close to A$100 million (US$65.2 million) into rejuvenating three hotels, where all function rooms have been upgraded.
At Pan Pacific Perth – PPHG’s most significant AEI project in Australia – discerning event planners now have a new 2,500m2 convention floor to bring their creative events to life. A Wellness Concierge stands by to help event planners weave guided wellness breaks, mindfulness sessions, and a curated Wellness Menu into their programme.
Choe’s vision is to bring biophilic design and natural light into all function rooms, while equipping properties with modern technology to support clients’ immersive storytelling requirements.
Indeed, the group’s newer properties perfectly reflect this intention.
Pan Pacific Orchard, Singapore, which opened in June 2023 and holds several design and architecture awards, is a prime example. The hotel blends sleek architecture with lush greenery. There are four architecturally distinct open-air terraces that welcome creative business gatherings while indoors there are various eye-catching venues for events of all forms and sizes.
In Malaysia, Parkroyal Penang Resort on Batu Ferringhi’s iconic beachfront recently unveiled refreshed event spaces that reflect the local cultural identity while supporting modern event needs.
At the heart of this transformation is the Andaman Grand Ballroom. Beyond its soaring double-tier timber ceiling, the ballroom is equipped with Batu Ferringhi’s largest built-in LED wall, advanced audiovisual systems, and customisable lighting. Cultural elements are seamlessly integrated with lighting panels that cast patterns reminiscent of wayang kulit, a tribute to Malaysia’s traditional shadow puppetry.
The hotel’s other seven function rooms are also renovated, and now open up to a pre-function area that offers a visual connection to the resort’s lush surroundings.
Choe shared that Pan Pacific Hanoi in Vietnam and Parkroyal Collection Pickering in Singapore will soon unveil “spectacular” new venues for events. – Karen Yue
Accor
Pullman, Mövenpick, and Swissôtel are brands in Accor’s portfolio that are well-equipped for business events due to their focus on flexibility, well-being, and purposeful design.
Pullman, with its Work hard, play hard ethos, appeals to the new generation of event planners. Hotels such as Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Beach, and Pullman Ciawi Vimala Hills Resort Spa & Convention, West Java, combine facilities with wellness-driven programming, energising breakouts, and social experiences that fuel productivity.
Swissôtel integrates its Vitality ethos into every aspect of the delegate journey. At Swissôtel Nankai Osaka for example, this includes wellness breaks, organic catering from its Sky Farm, and in-room fitness options to support both physical and mental well-being.
The brand’s Vitality Meeting setups include height-adjustable tables and wellness zones to boost energy and focus during long sessions, as seen at properties such as Swissôtel The Stamford Singapore.
As for incentive and wellness-focused events, Mövenpick properties like Mövenpick Resort & Spa Jimbaran Bali and Mövenpick BDMS Wellness Resort Bangkok offer immersive local wellness experiences, flexible venues, and standout cuisine.
To meet the needs of modern organisers, Accor continues to upgrade its business events infrastructure across Asia.
Ollie Ansell, vice president, commercial market strategy – Accor Asia, said: “Our venues feature modular spaces with natural light, LED screens, hybrid meeting technology, and ergonomic furniture to enhance comfort and flexibility. Recent upgrades at Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit and Pullman Singapore Hill Street exemplify this focus.
“We have also introduced wellness touch points, such as air purification systems, hydration stations, and calming design palettes.”
Other upgrades taking place behind the scenes include a strengthened technology backbone with high-speed connectivity and advanced audiovisual. Real-time translation tools have been implemented across key properties, while sustainability-related improvements include energy-efficient lighting, waste-reduction systems, and eco-certifications.
Ansell added that property teams “co-create agendas that keep delegates engaged and energised”, such as by creating “purpose-driven experiences”, from yoga before a leadership forum to nutritionist-curated menus at conferences. Solutions are tailor for each client. – Mimi Hudoyo
