International luxury hotel group Wanda Hotels & Resorts announced the official opening of their new Wanda Reign hotel in Chengdu today. Wanda Reign is the group's most premium brand of luxury hotels, and the Chengdu property is its second hotel, after Wanda Reign Wuhan, to be under this brand, as well as the brand's first location in China's southwest region.
Alice Mafaity is appointed resident manager of the InterContinental Hong Kong.
Earlier this month, Fitch Ratings said it expected Chinese hotel development to grow in the coming months thanks to demand that is still well outpacing supply growth, improved infrastructure and the low value of the renminbi. Consider Hong Kong-based private real estate investment firm Gaw Capital Partners, which is planning to focus a new Asia real estate fund on a range of properties in greater China—including hotels.
Hotels in China should take the opportunity to learn about how they can improve their services by understanding and acting on customers' online reviews, according to Dr Norman Au and Professor Rob Law of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and a co-researcher. In a recently published article, the researchers examine the content of online hotel reviews posted by guests, identifying cultural differences in the nature and number of complaints made by Western and Chinese customers. They advise that hotel managers need to understand these differences so that they can use them to "build strong brand value" and avoid the "devastating consequences" of poor business practices being exposed to the public.
Wanda Hotels & Resorts is delighted to announce the grand opening of Wanda Vista Hohhot this November 29. The hotel marks the 83rd opening of the group, and the 45th hotel owned and managed by Wanda Hotels & Resorts as well as the 12th hotel to come under the Wanda Vista brand.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) today announced the opening of Sheraton Harbin Xiangfang Hotel, marking the debut of the iconic Sheraton brand in the capital city of China's Heilongjiang Province. Owned by Harbin Taihong Real Estate Development Co., Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Eontime Real Estate (Group) Co., Ltd, Sheraton Harbin Xiangfang Hotelmarks the brand's 72nd hotel in China, further bolstering its presence in the region.
Lively, dynamic, creative Chef Jason Jonggun Kang now helms in FOO, all day buffet restaurant of Four Seasons Hotel Shenzhen.
Marriott Hotels, the iconic flagship brand of Marriott International Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) expanded its portfolio in China with the latest opening of the 340-room Shenzhen Marriott Hotel Nanshan in Shenzhen. Under a long-term management agreement with its owner Centralcon, the hotel is situated in the top floors of SCC Building, an iconic landmark that offers an exceptional 360 degree view of the spectacular sea and city landscape.
Frasers Hospitality, a member of Frasers Centrepoint Limited, bolsters its presence in China with the opening of its second serviced residence in the burgeoning city of Tianjin. Located close to the historic Nankai district, the 192-unit Fraser Place Tianjin complements the 104-unit Modena by Fraser Heping Tianjin, which was launched in 2010. This will be Frasers Hospitality's 15th property in China, where its footprint is expected to double to 30 properties with over 7,000 serviced apartment units by 2019.
Wanda Hotels & Resorts is delighted to announce the grand opening of Wanda Realm Liuzhou this November in the city's newly built Business District. Situated in China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Wanda Realm Liuzhou is the 82nd opening of Wanda Hotels & Resorts, and the 44th hotel to be both owned and managed by the group. It is also the 31st hotel opened under the Wanda Realm brand.
Dusit Fudu Hotels and Resorts, the Shanghai-based hospitality management arm of Dusit International, is pleased to announce the signing of a second management agreement with Jiangsu Huaqiang Real Estate Development Company Limited to manage a 400-room international mid-scale DusitPrincess Hotel and Residence in Jiangyin City, Jiangsu Province. The property is expected to open in late 2016.
Prior to joining Marco Polo Hotels, Vences was the Executive Assistant Manager of Food and Beverage for one of the most iconic hotels in the world - the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, UAE. He has also worked in the grandest hotel properties in New Delhi, Chile, Singapore and Hong Kong, holding various executive posts in the Food and Beverage field. Eric Waldburger, President of Marco Polo Hotels, had words of praise for Vences: “Adriano is a passionate and strong general manager who has time and time again demonstrated his ability to effectively improve all aspects of a hotel, from operations and guest service to the restaurants and bars. This experience has helped him quickly transform Niccolo into the city’s epicentre for events.”
Wyndham Hotel Group further increased its growing footprint in China today with the opening of Wyndham Sanya Bay, marking the first entry of the company's upscale Wyndham Hotels and Resorts® brand to Sanya, China's premier Hainan Island resort destination. This new addition in Sanya is the latest step in the Hotel Group's strategic efforts to expand its namesake Wyndham® brand to high-demand markets throughout China. This year, the brand has added locations in Shenzhen, Qingdao, Maoming and Urumqi. Currently, 19 hotels are open and operating in the country under the Wyndham brand flag. "Sanya has become one of China's most dynamic tourism spots, hitting tourism revenues of more than RMB 11 billion in the first quarter of this year and being ranked among the top domestic destinations in the country during this year's Golden Week, making this a vital time for us to be present in the market with our upscale Wyndham brand," said Leo Liu, Wyndham Hotel Group's president and managing director for Greater China. "We've successfully added five Wyndham properties to our portfolio so far this year and we foresee double-digit growth in openings next year. The opening of Wyndham Sanya Bay adds to the promising foundation we're laying for the Wyndham brand's future expansion into top tourist and commercial cities." Wyndham Sanya Bay is situated along the longest coastal stretch in Asia and within Sanya's sole business plaza, Leaguer Moho Plaza, ideally positioning it to serve both business and leisure travelers. The property is located five kilometers from Sanya Phoenix International Airport, a short drive to Sanya downtown and near scenic landmarks including Luhuitou Park, West Island and Beauty Crown Culture Center. The hotel's 401 spacious guest rooms, including 29 suites, span 15 floors. All feature sea-facing balconies and open kitchens. Leisure amenities include a spa with a 700-square- meter waterside pavilion, a 2,500-square-meter swimming pool, a hot spring pond, a fitness center, and a 500- square-meter Kid's Club featuring an indoor play area and an outdoor water park. Wyndham Sanya Bay's meeting and event facilities consist of a 1,000-square-meter grand ballroom, four function rooms and a business center. Two on-site restaurants, Moblue and Genoa, offer local Hainan and Cantonese cuisine and international dishes daily.The newly opened hotel participates in Wyndham Rewards®, the simple-to-use, revolutionary new loyalty programme from Wyndham Hotel Group offering members a generous points earning structure along with a flat, free night redemption rate – the first of its kind for a major rewards programme. Information is available at www.wyndhamrewards.com.cn. In September of this year, Wyndham Hotel Group became the first global hospitality company to reach the 1,000 hotel mark in Greater China. A key region of focus for more than a decade, the landmark achievement came after years of accelerated growth and the strategic roll-out of six of the company's hotel brands in more than 260 cities and 30 provinces.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT), today announced the signing of an agreement with Shanghai Hongtai Industry Development Co., Ltd. to debut its tech-driven Aloft brand in Shanghai— China's most cosmopolitan city. Slated to open in 2018, Aloft Shanghai Nanxiang will be centrally located in the Jiading district, joining Starwood's currently operating Sheraton Shanghai Jiading Hotel and Le Méridien Shanghai Jiading, slated to open in 2017.
Shorter flights and shorter stays - travellers from Asia Pacific are favouring getaways closer to home and within the Asia Pacific region compared with holidays that require long international flights, according to Visa's Global Travel Intentions Study 20151 ("Study").
Four Seasons Hotel Shenzhen recently appointed Alejandro Clausen as Executive Chef. He is responsible for the day-to-day kitchen operation of FOO, the all-day dining restaurant, Yi Bar & Lounge, and the Hotel’s banquet program. With 14 years of culinary experience across South America, Europe and Asia, Chef Alejandro leads the team at Four Seasons Hotel Shenzhen in taking quality cuisine into the next level of excellence.
Mr. Tony Chick has been appointed General Manager of New World Langfang Hotel, scheduled to open late 2016. Mr. Chick was previously resident manager of New World Beijing Hotel where he was one of the opening team members who contributed to the successful opening of that hotel.
Hilton Worldwide (NYSE: HLT) and the award-winning Hilton Garden Inn brand announced today the opening of Hilton Garden Inn Fuzhou Cangshan in Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian province and its economic, cultural and transportation hub. Hilton Garden Inn Fuzhou Cangshan, the fourth Hilton Garden Inn hotel in China, is owned by Yango Group Co. Ltd. and managed by Hilton Worldwide.
The inaugural Young Hospitality Professionals Summit (YHPS) was successfully completed (6th-7th November) in Shanghai, creating a platform, for the very first time, for young and enthusiastic professionals, students and industry leaders to get together to help form the future of China's hospitality industry.
This week Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®) CEO Frank Wolfe addressed more than 125 CEO/CIO/COO from global hotel groups at the 2015 CHTA Global Conference, November 11 – 13 in Macau. Wolfe shared his expertise on global hospitality technology trends. As a member of the advisory council for HFTP's Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC), the world's largest hospitality technology event, Wolfe is in tune with the most current hot topics in the industry. Joining Wolfe, was Sunny Wang, executive director of the HFTP Asia Research Center.