The extension of the Copthorne brand to some of CDL's hotels in New Zealand in 1997, and then to a group of CDL's Asian hotels in 1998 set the stage for a merger of CDL's and MCH's hotel portfolios. This took place in April 1999, when MCH announced that it was paying £556 million to acquire CDL's 43 hotels in the Asia Pacific. Following the merger, MCH emerged as a major hotel group, with 67 hotels and 17,000 rooms. The company then confirmed its new presence in the Asian Pacific, paying £219 million to acquire the Seoul Hilton, a five-star hotel.