Source: STR Global

Demand for room nights in China's top destinations grew impressively last year (2011) according to Horwath HTL, the world oldest and largest hospitality consulting network, during a presentation at the 8th annual China Hotel Development and Financing Conference in Beijing.

Of the lowest 4 performing markets Dalian, Hangzhou, Shenzhen and Shanghai, the latters loss of Expo-related demand was clearly the main factor in a miserly growth of 0.3% with the others all recording RND growth of around 6 to 7%.

The next 5 markets Qingdao, Chongqing, Xian, Nanjing and Beijing all recorded between 10 to 20 percent growth, with Qingdao and Chongqing exceeding 15% growth in 2011. The top six markets Tianjin, Suzhou, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Sanja and Xiamen all managed to record in excess of 20% growth in RND, with Chengdu and Suzhou recording above 25% growth and Tianjin in excess of 30% growth.

Julie Dai, Director of Horwath HTL China said "What we see is that 2011 was a very strong year in regards to the underlying room night demand growth across the major hotel markets in China. Even Shanghai, with its post Expo rooms hangover managed to scrape into positive territory and to have 11 markets in excess of 10% growth is impressive"

About Horwath HTL

Horwath HTL is focused one hundred percent on hospitality, tourism, and leisure consulting. Our services cover every aspect of hotel real estate investment, tourism, and leisure development. Our clients choose Horwath HTL because we have earned a reputation for impartial advice that will often mean the difference between failure and success. Each client project is unique, and they rely on us to utilize the experience we have gained throughout our 100-year history to assist them in achieving their goals. Being a global firm with 52 offices in 40 countries, we have successfully carried out over 40,000 assignments for both public and private clients. As part of the Crowe Global network, a top-ten accounting, and financial services network, Horwath HTL is the number one choice for companies and financial institutions looking to invest and develop in the industry.

For more information, please visit www.horwathhtl.com.

James Chappell
Global Business Director
Horwath