Press Release

THOMAS NOLL HAS BEEN INCLUDED IN DELOVOI PETERBURG’SLIST OF THE “TOP 30” SENIOR MANAGERS IN ST. PETERSBURG

St. Petersburg, 27 October 2009 – At the awards ceremony for Delovoi Peterburg newspaper’s selection of the best senior managers in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Oblast, Thomas Noll, the Managing Director of the Grand Hotel Europe, was awarded a prize as one of the thirty most successful managers of 2009. Earlier, in 2008 Thomas Noll joined the list of “TOP 100” best managers of the same newspaper.

“Delovoi Peterburg” is the city’s leading daily business and analitycal newspaper. The annual “Top 100” magazine by “Delovoi Peterburg” features the best executives, wealthiest property owners and people whose career has really taken off in 2009. It also includes information about the biggest investment projects of the year and events that have had significant consequences for the city’s business community.

The newspaper’s editorial team has chosen the best executives on the basis of their company’s achievements, such as turnover and profit in the first half of 2009 compared to the same period last year and the percentage of jobs retained from October 2008 to June 2009. This year, the editors also took into account the results of online voting at dp.ru. A committee of experts was set up in order to search for and choose the best senior managers, events and projects.

“During a period that is difficult for the hotel business, our general strategy consists of maintaining the extremely high level of service with which we provide our clients: today, particular significance is given to the ‘returning’ client,” said Thomas Noll. “We are continuing to invest in the hotel – we have updated our fleet of cars by purchasing 11 BMWs, and we are increasing our power capacity to meet the growing requirements of our spa centre. We are continuing our innovative path of development: we have completed our thematically named executive suites, despite the crisis, and achieved SGS certification for the corresponding ISO 9001:2008 international standard of quality management systems, as well as publishing our own ‘Life Style Book’, and creating our own kind of rose, the Grand Europe.”

Under Noll’s management the Grand Hotel Europe has been receiving many awards, among them are such prestigious nominations as “Best Luxury Hotel in Europe” by World Travel Awards 2009; Travel + Leisure’s annual list of the 500 greatest hotels and resorts in the world for the fifth time; Wine Spectator Award of Excellence 2008 & 2009 by Wine Spectator, America's foremost wine publication; Grand Prix of Best Hotel in Europe 2008, by the Jury of Prix Villegiature; Forbes Traveler 400, 2008/2009 edition of the list of the world's finest hotels; Best hotel in Russia in 2008 by Afisha World magazine.

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Mikhailovskaya Ulitsa 1/7, 191186 St. Petersburg, Russia; Mailing Address: P.O. Box 53, Fin-53501 Lappeenranta, FinlandTel.: +7 812 329 6000, Fax: +7 812 329 6001, E-mail: hotel@grandhoteleurope.com, Internet Address:

http://www.grandhoteleurope.com

Thomas NollManaging Director, Grand Hotel Europe by Orient-Express

Born 1961 in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Graduated from Poppe & Neumann Hotel School in Konstanz. Began career as Executive Chef at a number of hotels in Europe, Kenya and Antigua. Studied at Cornell University.

In 2005 joined Orient-Express Hotels as a General Manager of St Petersburg leading luxury hotel Grand Hotel Europe. In the same year initiated and launched multi-million dollar large scale projected of renovation of Grand Hotel Europe’s guest rooms and public areas.

In 2006 Thomas Noll established the Grand Hotel Europe Charity Foundation with a goal of giving to underprivileged children and youths an opportunity to develop and grow, to have decent living conditions and to have a chance to succeed in life. The Grand Hotel Europe gives them their first job, provide trainings and corresponding social benefits, keeping them away from the streets; does monitor living conditions of the youths and help them to make their temporary home a nice place. Today 9 young ladies and gentlemen, who grew up in children’s homes, are working in different departments of the hotel. The main aim was not simply to offer them a job, but the opportunity to build a career in the hotel business.

Recently Thomas Noll was nominated as the “Best Manager 2009” by European Hotel Managers Association.

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Orient-Express, (NYSE: OEH, www.orient-express.com) the name behind an elite collection of travel experiences, first came into being in 1883 as one of the world’s most exciting and indulgent train journeys. Today those same two evocative words also embrace hotels, cruises and other luxury rail adventures in 25 countries, across five continents. The Company has offered exceptional luxury travel experiences since 1976, when it first purchased Hotel Cipriani in Venice and then shortly afterwards, recreated the celebrated Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, linking London, Paris and Venice, along with other European cities. Today, the company owns or part-owns and manages 49 businesses, 39 of which are highly acclaimed hotels, each unique in style, from the Mount Nelson in Cape Town and Rio’s Copacabana Palace, to the Grand Hotel Europe in St. Petersburg and Maroma Resort & Spa on Mexico’s Riviera Maya. There are two restaurants, including ‘21’ in New York, two river cruise operations and six luxury trains. For further information or images, please contact:

Irina KhlopovaPublic Relations ManagerGrand Hotel EuropeTel.: +7 (812) 329 66 08E-mail: irina.khlopova@grandhoteleurope.com

Mikhailovskaya Ulitsa 1/7, 191186 St. Petersburg, Russia; Mailing Address: P.O. Box 53, Fin-53501 Lappeenranta, FinlandTel.: +7 812 329 6000, Fax: +7 812 329 6001, E-mail: hotel@grandhoteleurope.com, Internet Address:

http://www.grandhoteleurope.com