Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts Prepares for China Expansion

A Chinese name and logo, a new Shanghai executive team, a website in Mandarin, three new hotels under development and a record number of Chinese consumers embracing Swiss products are paving the way for success in China for Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts. In China Mövenpick will be known as Rui Xiang (瑞享), which means "brings you enjoyment and luck with Swiss quality". This name and logo were created in collaboration with brand specialists Interbrand and developed following extensive customer research in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou.

However, the new name is just one aspect of the upmarket Swiss hospitality company"s Chinese preparations. A Mandarin website has been launched to enable easy access to Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts for Chinese speaking guests and a Vice President Development, Sunny Li, has been appointed to steer further expansion in China. The new Shanghai office for Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has also appointed a Director of Global Sales and a Director of Technical Systems Services.

Already Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has three projects under development in China: the 300-room Mövenpick Hotel Jiading, Shanghai, the 380-room Mövenpick Resort & Spa, Phoenix Island, Sanya, both opening next year and the Mövenpick Hotel & State Guest House Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, opening in 2015.

The company"s Chinese expansion has been accompanied by increasing interest in Swiss quality products with the non-profit organisation Swiss Center Shanghai (SCS) reporting that exports to China and Hong Kong from Switzerland increased by 19% last year.

This trend is in line with an increasing number of Chinese investors approaching Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts about possible future projects.

"Large cities in China are saturated with hotel brands and many Chinese investors are discovering we offer a Swiss breath of fresh air," said President and CEO of Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, Jean Gabriel Pérès.

"Our brand underlines Swiss values of reliability and quality, but we also offer a warm and human approach which is refreshing to investors who may want a personable alternative to anonymous huge multi-national companies."

Managing director of SCS, Nicolas Musy, said Switzerland"s high living standards and quality products and services were irresistible lifestyle choices to aspirational Chinese.

"With quality positioning and fast development, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has the opportunity to capitalise on the excellent Swiss image and become very successful in China," he said.