MUMBAI: Havas Media APAC has been appointed as the global media agency of record (AoR) of luxury hotel group Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, following a multi-agency pitch that saw participation of agencies like Starcom and OMD.

The agency has been tasked with handling the media planning and buying for the Hong Kong based hotel group, across all its markets and properties.

The hotel group is developing new hotels in India, China, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Turkey and United Kingdom. It currently has 76 hotels and resorts throughout Asia Pacific, North America, the Middle East and Europe.

Havas Media was selected for its ability to deliver media innovations and strong integrated solutions. The hotel account will be led out of the agency‘s Hong Kong operations.

MPG Hong Kong managing director Deryk Tang said, "This is an extremely exciting win for us and a testament to our extensive experience in the luxury and hospitality sector. We have a great synergy with the marketing team from Shangri-La."

Havas Media International APAC managing director Stuart Clark added, "Shangri-La Hotels is a brand synonymous with Asian luxury and hospitality. They have produced some really interesting campaigns over the last few years, taking the brand into a unique territory within the category. We will leverage all our specialist resources in International and Luxury marketing to help them build on that platform in 2013 and beyond."