Hotel planned for Olympics co-host

Operator to tap into mega business opportunities spurred by global event

State-owned hospitality group Beijing North Star V-Continent Hotel Management said it plans to open a new hotel in Zhangjiakou, a co-host city of the 2022 Winter Olympics, next year.

The group told a news conference on Thursday that the new addition to its portfolio - V-Continent Wanquan Hotel - will be located in Wanquan district of Zhangjiakou.

The new hotel in northern Hebei province will boast an area of 20,000 square meters and 200 suites and guest rooms.

The group told the news conference that the move will help it to tap into great business potential after the Olympics.

Company executives said opportunities would come from such sectors as ice and snow sports, tourism and entertainment, as well as conventions and exhibitions.

As a designated hotelier serving the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 1990 Asian Games held in Beijing, the company has rich experience in catering for large-scale sport events, as well as exhibitions and conferences, said Cui Fushui, its general manager.

Beijing North Star V-Continent also manages a hotel which provided accommodation for participants in the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province in 2016.

The Hangzhou hotel has brought in up to 300 million yuan ($47 million) per year in revenue, according to Cui.

Such international events can showcase the facilities and services of hotels to the world, helping to attract customers in the long run, he said.

"Many companies favor hotels that have experience in hosting big events as venues to hold their own annual meetings or news conferences.

"That tendency, in turn, makes the hotels more popular."

China National Convention Center, one of the venues for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, has since then received an average of three requests per day for meetings with more than 100 attendees, Cui said.

The upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics - set to open in Beijing and Zhangjiakou - is another eye-catching sports event that will take place on the world stage.

Industry insiders say Zhangjiakou, where many major competitions will be held during the event, is as a result extremely attractive to property operators and investors.

Zhang Kainan, general manager of Hebei New East Asia Estate Development, the real estate group which owns the building, said he believes in a bright future for the post-Olympics business for the new hotel, due to the rise in prospects for the winter sports industry.

"More and more Chinese people - not only for professionals, but also ordinary families - have grown interested in skiing," he said.

Zhang said he expects a steady flow of visitors, as Zhangjiakou has many ski resorts, and is only two-hour's drive from Beijing.

"With snow and winter sports activities becoming increasingly popular, what hotels can do is to improve management and provide better accommodation experiences for guests," he said.

Zhang added that his group has not isolated a target customer group for the new hotel, as ice and snow tourism covered almost all demographics.

High-speed trains from Beijing to Zhangjiakou are expected to begin operations in 2019.

They will take only 37 minutes to reach the central area of the city, and less than 50 minutes to reach Chongli district, where major ski resorts are located, according to Zhang.

Although many international property brands have entered the city, Hebei New East Asia Estate Development's Zhang said his company chose to work with hotel manager Beijing North Star V-Continent, due to its experience in conference receptions and with domestic customers.

chenmeiling@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 02/10/2018 page10)