China is a vital market: hotelier
Leading global hospitality company Hilton Worldwide considers the Chinese market among its most important, according to Francis Lee Wee-Hau, senior vice-president of development for Greater China and Mongolia.
China has become the largest market outside of the United States for the company, which was established 97 years ago, and has more than 4,600 managed, franchised, owned and leased hotels and timeshare properties with more than 758,000 rooms in 100 countries and regions.
Up to Dec 31, Hilton Worldwide operated 71 hotels in China, including 69 on the Chinese mainland since it entered China in 1988, and 205 hotels are to be opened in the next few years.
"The Chinese market is full of opportunities for hospitality, not only in the big cities and coastal areas, but also in small cities and tourism destination areas," said Lee during an interview with the Chinese media recently.
China's population is four times that of the US, yet the number of starred hotels in China is only one-fifth that of the US, which means the room for growth in the Chinese hospitality market is around 20 times that in the US, he added.
Apart from luxury hotel brands, such as Waldorf Astoria, Conrad and Hilton, the company also plans to introduce into the Chinese market more lower-end hotels, such as Hampton and Canopy, to meet the increasing market demand from middle-class families, private travelers and business travelers.
Lee attributes the company's successful operations in China to its quick response to the Chinese government's economic policies and development strategies.
When the Chinese government decided to accelerate the development of western China, the company also turned its eyes to the region, such as Chengdu in Sichuan province, where 12 new hotels are currently being built.
In Guangzhou, the company's business also took off as it seized the opportunities brought about by the building of Zhujiang New Town, the city's central business district.
The company also sees great market potential in China's frontier areas, such as Dandong in Liaoning province, which borders the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, with the Chinese government encouraging cross-border trade.
The company is constantly innovating to win the hearts of Chinese customers at home and abroad, Lee said.
The company was the first multinational hotel company to sponsor the Chinese Olympic Committee, and will do so through 2019. It has also launched its Huanying program, which establishes a set of amenity and service standards uniquely designed to make the growing number of Chinese travelers feel at home when they travel abroad.
liuzhihua@chinadaily.com.cn
(China Daily 04/09/2016 page10)
