China

China, with the largest population of the world, is in huge economic transformation due to the fastest-growing middle-class. Nowadays the number of middle-class people in China has reached 500 million and in 2020, this figure is expected to increase up to 1.75 billion. Declined growth in the real estate market and fixed asset investment has led to a notable change in the hotel industry. International luxury hotel chains are making more efforts to take advantage of the growing Chinese middle-class with luxury desires. Also, in these days, small luxury hotel or boutique hotel has gradually become popular in China, which is not as majestic and unified as large international chains, but draw consumers by their delicate and characteristic hotel culture. Indeed, hotel investors have become more sensitive to financial returns and thus have started to invest on select-service hotel products.