September is usually a busy month for hotel development announcements,
and 2007 seems to be no exception. The newest kid on the China
hospitality block is Dubai-based Jumeirah, which operates the
uber-luxurious Burj Al Arab hotels, and is set to open its first hotel
in China in Shanghai next August. The 338-room HanTang Jumeirah
Shanghai in Xintiandi will form part of a 52-hectare development of
offices, residential complexes and shops. The group is also looking to
manage hotels elsewhere in China, including Guangzhou and in the
coastal resort of Sanya, Hainan Island.
Gerald Lawless, executive chairman of Jumeirah has hinted that the
group hopes to be operating at least five hotels in greater China by
the end of 2010. “I see us being very busy, say two-and-a-half, three
years from now in terms of openings in China,” he said, adding the
group hoped to be able to announce news on a possible Beijing hotel by
the end of the year.
Lawless also confirmed to Gulf News that Jumeirah is considering
launching a second hotel brand that would be more suitable for
second-tier Chinese cities, or to sit alongside the flagship brand in
gateway cities. “At some stage in our existence, it is likely that we
will also introduce a second brand, but we’re still working out exactly
the format of such a brand,” he said.
International hotel chains are carefully adapting their brand
positioning to take into account Chinese travellers’ – and developers’
– fast-evolving preferences and tastes. Hyatt, for example, recently
opened a newly styled hotel, Hyatt on the Bund, in Shanghai. The luxury
hotel was originally scheduled to form part of the Hyatt Regency brand,
but the positioning was reconsidered following pressure from the
Chinese owner, Shimao Group. From 2009, Hyatt Group will have a cluster
of three upscale hotels around the Huangpu river, with the existing
Grand Hyatt and Hyatt on the Bund being joined by a new Park Hyatt, set
to open in the Shanghai World Financial Tower – slated to be the
world’s tallest building – some time next year.
Last update : Tuesday, 11 September 2007
|
|
|
News & Interviews 
(0 vote)
