SHANGHAI: Like many places throughout the world, China's luxury hotel industry is dominated by global hotel giants like Accor and InterContinental.

But Landis Hotels and Resorts from Taiwan Province is determined to offer business and leisure travelers on the mainland a different choice with its hallmark of "a touch of personalized service, even better than home".

The hotel operator has two brands under its management, luxury name Landis, and Hotel One, which uses a boutique approach.

Eddie Hsia

The 16-year-old hotel operator has now opened two hotels on the mainland, Hotel One Suzhou and Skyway Landis Shanghai, and is aiming high in the future.

"We are planning to have 30 to 50 hotels within 10 to 15 years," says Eddie Hsia, general manager of Hotel One Suzhou, which officially opened on March 14.

"The market potential is tremendous and many new hotels are sprouting up in the country," says the manager of the four-story boutique hotel with 139 rooms.

"Both the Hotel One and Skyway Landis Hotel Shanghai are trying to offer the guests a different taste," Hsia says.

"Our mission is to let the guest be the master of the room," says Hsia, who has spent 14 years in the hospitality industry.

"Everything in the guest room and the layout of the room itself is designed with that mission in mind," the manager says.

Using a workstation transforms the guestroom into a mobile business center that has equipment in the room such as a fax and printer, he notes.

"For some guests who like to work late into the night when the business center is closed, the workstation in the guestroom could solve some pressing issues like printing," Hsia says.

The average decoration costs per room at Hotel One Suzhou is about 160,000 yuan, which is even more expensive than most luxury hotel room decoration expenses.

"We mainly target those who know how to lead an elegant life," Hsia says.

The target customers are business travelers and leisure travelers alike, he says, mostly aged between 30 and 55.

Occupancy at the avant-garde boutique hotel since its opening is well beyond Hsia's expectations, with the rate consistently above 80 percent.

While Hotel One in Suzhou is a boutique hotel that plays to the "niche" market, Skyway Landis Hotel Shanghai is a traditional luxury hotel competing head-on with other well-established brands such as Four Seasons and Westin.

The 52-story hotel, located just minutes away from the bustling city center Xujiahui, officially opened on April 28, according to its general manager Andr Joulian.

The hotel combines superior facilities with contemporary and traditional decor and stands out as one of the tallest hotels in Shanghai's Puxi area. In 2005 it was selected by the municipal government as one of the area's top-10 landmarks.

In addition to its extravagant and luxurious decor, which took four years to complete, Skyway Landis Shanghai pays great attention to the quality of services, Joulian says.

"We have superior facilities, but most importantly we have our outstanding personalized services," the French general manger adds.

"We provide personalized services to meet different needs of our guests," the general manager says, noting that the most striking feature of the Skyway Landis, is the concept of "hotel in the hotel".

The rooms at Skyway Residence between the 28th and 46th floors offer enhanced services and amenities, according to Joulian, who also serves as President of the Landis Hotels and Resorts Group's China operations.

At Skyway Residence, personal check-in services are also available at an executive lounge that is individually connected to the guest rooms and suites by internal staircases, Joulian says.

In addition to its primary corporate customer business, Skyway Landis Shanghai also hosts meetings and group travelers, says Joulian, who has spent his entire career in hospitality industry in Asia.

Its main customers are currently from Taiwan, followed by clients from Japan.

"We are trying to attract more guests from Europe," says Joulian. "And it may start from my home country France first," the manager says, smiling.

(China Daily 06/25/2007 page9)