Roundup

Appointments

Hugo Montanari has joined The Ritz-Carlton, Tianjin, as its new general manager, bringing over 12 years of international and brand experience to the iconic hotel. Prior to this, Montanari spent two years as hotel manager at The Ritz-Carlton Sanya, Yalong Bay, and before that two years as director of operations at The Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore.

Hilton Worldwide recently announced the appointment of Fredy Pascal as general manager of Hilton Xi'an. Pascal joins Hilton Xi'an from Hilton Beijing, where he held the position of director of operations and committee leader of Beijing cluster purchasing. He has over 25 years of international practice in Europe, the United States, South America, Middle East and Asia.

Regent Hotels & Resorts appointed Nicholas Emery as general manager of Regent Beijing. Emery has 20 years of experience in the international hotel industry, most recently as general manager at the Renaissance Hotel TEDA in Tianjin. Prior to that, he spent 11 years with Fairmont Raffles Hotels and Resorts.

New Signings

Shangri-La International Hotel Management Ltd and Golden Concord Holdings Ltd signed an agreement to open Jinji Lake Shangri-La, Suzhou, by the end of 2017. The hotel, at 140 meters tall, will form part of the upscale Xiexin Plaza complex that comprises 249,731 square meters of luxury living and a grade-A office tower in the Suzhou Industrial Park. "This project provides the group an opportunity to further expand our brand portfolio in China and the city of Suzhou," said Shangri-La President and CEO Greg Dogan.

The Chedi hotel brand will be making its debut in China after a joint venture cooperation agreement was signed by the Beijing Tourism Group, GHM Hotels Management and Shanghai Golden Union Investment Group on Jan 29. Resort hotels, city hotels, residences and other hospitality products will be developed on the Chinese mainland and in Hong Kong and Macao. The first hotel for The Chedi brand will be located in Ninghai, Zhejiang province, and will have a soft opening in the first quarter of 2017.

Wedding Show

The Westin Beijing Chaoyang held a wedding show on Jan 24. A total of 150 guests joined the event. Using the four seasons of the year as background scenes, the show vividly conveyed romantic love stories.

Spring Festival Samplers

Chinese Executive Chef Wiboon Sarot from Banyan Tree Shanghai has created six sumptuous set menus at Ming Yuan Chinese Restaurant that features seafood and meat specialties along with traditional Lunar New Year favorites.

VUE Dining at the Hyatt on the Bund is ushering in the Year of the Monkey with a banquet of Chinese delicacies, including marinated goose liver with Shaoxing rice wine and a double-boiled broth of shrimp and scallops. Guests can also celebrate Chinese New Year's Eve at Aroma, which features international dishes, or at VUE restaurant, which features authentic European classics. All dining venues offer a lucky draw for diners to win a two- or three-night stay at a Hyatt hotel. All offers are available on Feb 7.

(China Daily 01/30/2016 page10)