Room with a view

By Ding Qingfen (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-06-16 10:55

And the group's local expansion strategy has been consistent, setting sight on "the gateway cities," says Garside.

China is becoming a strategically significant market for Marriott since its entry in the World Trade Organization in 2001. During the past few years, China has "held the first position around Asia by contributing more than 40 percent of Asian sales revenue for Marriott."

And the momentum is set to continue. In the next three years, "there will be an additional 100 hotels in Asia coming out, 40 percent of which will be located in China," says Garside.

"And the other 40 percent will be in India, and the rest goes to the other parts of Asia. China and India will be the largest two."

Talent-oriented strategy

But an undeniable truth is that Marriot were slow entering China mainland, about 17 years after the first international entered the local market.

Besides the Peninsula, in the 1980s, some, if not many, international hotel groups have successively shown up. Following the Peninsula were the United Kingdom-based International Hotels Group (IHG) and HK-based Shangri-La in 1984, French Accor and the US-based Sheraton in 1985 and the Hilton in 1988.

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