Following the recent signings for three new luxury hotels in Boao, Wyndham Hotel Group (NYSE:WYN), the world's largest hotel company based on number of hotels, today announced its continued expansion in China with the signing of a management agreement to open a luxury Wyndham Hotels and Resorts® property in Hangzhou's Xixi National Wetland Park.
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group today announced that it has signed an agreement to manage a new, luxury hotel currently under construction in Pudong, Shanghai. The hotel is scheduled to open in 2013.
Regal Kangbo Hotel, invested by the Bosideng Holdings LTD and managed by the Regal Hotels International, is the first five-star international hotel in Dezhou. The hotel was recently opened for business. The hotel is easily accessible from the Jinan Yaoqiang International Airport, only 70 minutes drive away and 10 minutes from the railway station of Dezhou.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) is lengthening its long established lead in China as one of the largest four and five star hotel operators here with 62 existing hotels and a pipeline of 86 new hotels. Now through 2011, one in every three new Starwood hotels will open in China, including new brand flagships for eight of its nine brands.
Mr. Richard Deutl has almost 30 years experience in the hospitality industry and is a native of Salzburg, Austria, the city of "Sound of Music" and Mozart. He has been with Sheraton and Starwood Hotels & Resorts for 22 years, working across Sheraton and Westin hotels in Austria, Germany, France, Belgium and Georgia. Four years ago he came to China; The Westin Nanjing is a "coming home" as he started his career in China at the former Sheraton Wuxi Hotel. He joins The Westin Nanjing from Tianjin, where he had held the role of General Manager at Sheraton Tianjin Hotel for the past two years. "To join such a well excited property and start from pre opening is indeed an honour. The opening of The Westin Nanjing witnesses the increasing importance of Nanjing as a tourist and business destination, and also I am proud of contributing my knowledge and experience to the hospitality industry of Nanjing and developing local talents." Comments Mr. Deutl. He is a veteran with an ingrained understanding of the core value of the Westin; and it is certain he will bring his enthusiasm and inspiring passion to his appointment at The Westin Nanjing.
Lily Chen has over 15 years of experience in the hospitality industry including the pre-openings of Four Points by Sheraton Daning and The Westin Bund Center Shanghai where she developed her professional and leadership skills. Ms. Chen has held various posts with international hotel brands including IHG, Marriott and Starwood Hotels and Resorts. Ms. Lily Chen has extraordinary achievements in accomplishing sales goals, and has won the honors "2005 The Best Sales Award" and "2008 The Platinum Award of the Starwood Asia Pacific Elite program". Now Ms. Lily Chen has joined The Westin Nanjing and will be fully responsible for the successful establishment of The Westin Nanjing on all markets. It is certain that the Sales and Marketing department of The Westin Nanjing led by Lily Chen will bring distinguished personal service to the Nanjing Hotel market, making sure that business partners and guests will find in The Westin Nanjing the one and only partner they want to send to their guests, friends and families.
Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) today announced expansion plans in China with management agreements for 11 new Hyatt-branded hotels in emerging cities and resort destinations. Including previously announced management agreements, Hyatt has 22 properties under development in China across all of its full service brands, including Andaz.
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms, signed four hotel contracts today in Hong Kong at the Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP).
Following the recent opening of two luxury hotels in the cities of Shanghai and Chengdu, Wyndham Hotel Group (NYSE:WYN), the world’s largest hotel company with nearly 7,200 hotels and 13 brands, today announced its continued expansion in China with management agreements for three new Wyndham Hotels and Resorts® properties in Boao, located in south China’s Hainan Island province.
TAC has recently finished the translation of its Spa & Activity Software "Reservation Assistant" into Simplified Chinese. The software is now available in 16 different languages such as Turkish, Finnish, Russian and Latvian. The Chinese version is available at no additional charge to existing TAC customers.
The Global Observatory on Sustainable Tourism (GOST), a UNWTO initiative for the monitoring and evaluating of sustainable tourism policies, received a significant boost following the signing of a Collaboration Agreement between UNWTO and Sun Yet-Sen University in Guangzhou, China. Strengthening cooperation between the two partners, the agreement represents an important step towards the responsible planning and management of tourism destinations.
International hoteliers, with New York-listed Starwood Hotels and Resorts and Malaysia's Hong Leong Group to the fore, are riding the country's property boom to open new hotels at a dizzying pace, seduced by the potential of China and hurt by weak economies elsewhere. Undeterred by talk of a growing property bubble, Chinese developers are building palace-like hotels - each competing to be larger and more luxurious than the last - and inviting international companies to manage them.
The hotel, built along a very old canal that is to become a UNESCO World Heritage site, is conveniently situated in central Wuxi. With a population of 4.6 million, Wuxi is the center of China’s Jiangnan region waterways and the site of 3,000 years of cultural heritage. It is sometimes called “Little Shanghai,” due to its proximity to Shanghai, fast urbanization and booming economy.
Mr Beresford is an experienced hotel operator and joins us from InterContinental Hotels with whom he has had a long association over the past 12 years. Mr Beresford’s prior responsibility included overseeing properties in several different cities in China including Dandong, Shenyang and Wuhan. He was most recently General Manager of the Crowne Plaza West Hanoi.
It all started with a hotel bathroom, says Steven Pan, chairman of Taiwan-based Formosa International Hotels Corp., which paid US$56 million in April to buy the international Regent luxury hotel chain. "The Regent realized that the bathrooms, not the bedrooms, were where guests spent the majority of their time. So they expanded its size to almost one-third the size of the room," says Mr. Pan. This level of understanding customer needs is what's "going to make the next breakthrough in the hotel industry." Regent—acquired from Carlson Hospitality Group of the U.S. and Brussels-based Rezidor Hotel Group—comprises seven hotels from Beijing to Berlin. Formosa previously operated just one hotel, the Grand Formosa Regent in Taipei.
While three flight hours south in Macau, the Pacific Asia Travel Association hosted its annual PATA Travel Mart, over 500 delegates gathered in Beijing on September 15-16 at the so far largest China Travel Distribution Summit. This key event for travel executives looking to understand how to distribute and market online to Chinese consumers, focused on the theme of “China, Consumer, Content”. For global companies, China is no longer the future. It is the present. China’s market share in the global tourism world is rapidly growing, and with over 420 million Internet users, China has the most online users in the world.
Langham Hotels International has signed a management agreement for Langham Place, Ningbo Culture Plaza, Ningbo with Ningbo Culture Plaza Investment & Development Company Limited. The move marks the luxury hotel operator’s first flag in one of China’s strategic second tier cities.
Regal Hotels International Limited (Regal Hotels Group) is pleased to announce the signing of a hotel project with He Nan Yuhong Real Estate Company Limited to open a five-star hotel, Regal Yuhong Hotel in Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) today announces that The St. Regis Lhasa Resort will open in November 2010, which will be the first St. Regis resort in China. Located on the “Roof of the World”, 3,680 meters above sea level, this stunning resort offers an unrivaled dimension of luxury, bespoke service and refined elegance at one of the most mystical and exotic addresses in the world.
Mr Jackson has more than 24 years experience in the hospitality industry, and began his career with Mandarin Oriental in 2006 as Executive Assistant Manager, Food and Beverage at Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong. He was then promoted to Resident Manager at Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok in 2008 where he was instrumental in successfully managing the renovation of the hotel’s rooms and suites and maintaining the service and product quality of this flagship property. Prior to his time with Mandarin Oriental, Mr Jackson held a variety of roles with The Savoy Hotel Group, The Royal Household and The Ritz, London.