ITHACA, NY and HONG KONG, May 2, 2005 — Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Asia Pacific's leading luxury hotel group, has selected eCornell, a leader in online corporate education and training, as its worldwide partner to provide hospitality, general management, and leadership development programs.

Management staff in Shangri-La's 47 hotels and resorts, located in key cities of Asia Pacific and the Middle East and the world's most sought-after leisure destinations, will enroll in eCornell's courses developed by faculty at Cornell University's world-renowned School of Hotel Administration, Johnson Graduate School of Management, and School of Industrial Relations. Managers 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.

"This e-learning program will provide a platform for our employees to expand their knowledge base with a high degree of time flexibility," said Giovanni Angelini, chief executive officer and managing director of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts. "Such a commitment to employee development is critical, given our rapid worldwide expansion plans."

"eCornell is delighted to partner with Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts by providing a flexible and effective corporate learning solution that meets the training and development needs of such a diverse and growing organization," said Chris Proulx, president and chief executive officer of eCornell. "eCornell's proven content, high-touch course delivery, and turn-key implementation and integration were all critical factors in Shangri-La's decision to enter into a five-year partnership that includes up to 3000 course registrations."

"Our relationship with eCornell, is designed to increase the management effectiveness of the entire Shangri-La organization," said Tan Eng Leong, Shangri-La's Group Director of Human Resources. "With it's highly-focused and relevant content, we expect this program to have very positive effects on Shangri-La's growth potential."

About Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts: Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts currently manages 47 hotels under the five-star Shangri-La and four-star Traders Hotels brands, with a rooms inventory of over 21,000. The group has over 30 projects under development in Canada, mainland China, India, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Oman, Philippines, Qatar, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. For more information, please access the website at www.shangri-la.com.

About eCornell: eCornell provides many of the world's leading organizations with online, asynchronous professional and executive development in the areas of strategy, leadership and management development, human resources, financial management, and hospitality management. Its patent-pending course development model and proven instructor-led course delivery provide for engaging, rigorous, and interactive learning. For more information, please visit www.ecornell.com.