Raising the bar on hotel service

Singaporean Desmond Tan has lived in China for almost a decade. The veteran hotelier is now in charge of one of the top-ranked business and leisure hotels in Kunming, Yunnan province - the Grand Park Kunming Hotel (GPKH).

"I chose Kunming because I love it. I've brought my family here, too," the 40-year-old says. "My wife and two children truly enjoy the beauty and weather of this city."

Tan was earlier director of sales and marketing for Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts China in Lijiang, another city in Yunnan that's known as the "Venice of the East".