Some of the world's leading luxury hotels are going to open not only in China mainland's key cities but also in second-tier markets as they bank on the fast growth in business and leisure travelers to the country and also on rising income among the Chinese.

The Jumeirah Group from the United Arab Emirates, which runs the world's most luxurious hotel Burj Al Arab in Dubai, is very keen on the China market and Asia in general, company officials said.

The Dubai-based company, which aims to expand its global portfolio to 57 hotels by 2011, will open its first China hotel - the 338-room HanTang Jumeirah Shanghai - in Xintiandi in July 2008.

Besides the 338-room Shanghai facility, the Middle Eastern luxury hotel group is also considering tapping into more Chinese cities such as Beijing and Hong Kong as well as Hainan island, company officials said.

Another well-known name, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, a luxury brand under Hilton Hotels Corporation, which runs 18 hotels globally, announced yesterday it will open its first mainland facility in Shanghai as soon as next year. It also said that it will open in Beijing and Macao although no specific timetable for these two cities was released.

The 362-room Conrad Shanghai, located in the city's prime Xintiandi area, is under construction and due to receive guests between the middle and the end of next year.

"We are really excited about operating in the Chinese mainland following a great success in Hong Kong," said Richard Blamey, senior vice president for brand management with Conrad Hotels & Resorts. "Demand for luxury facilities has been strong in Shanghai and some other leading cities."

In addition, Kempinski, Europe's oldest luxury hotel firm which now runs 11 properties in the country - eight hotels and three resorts - said it plans to boost its portfolio to 21 by 2010 as it hopes to further boost its role as a major player in the Chinese market.

The German hospitality company, which entered the China market in 1992 by opening the Kempinski Hotel Beijing Lufthansa Center, will open hotels in Shanghai, Hohhot, Huizhou, Qingdao, Tianjin, Wuxi, Xi'an, Suzhou, Guiyang and Yinchuan within three to four years, said Rene S. Schmitt, Kempinski's senior vice president for China.

Kempinski also announced that it will launch the luxury Tangula Express trains in the second quarter of next year.

The trains, to be managed by Kempinski and featuring spacious suites, gourmet cuisine, 24-hour butler service, spa and wellness treatment as well as an in-room entertainment system, will run from Beijing to Lhasa via Xi'an during the warm season and from Beijing to Dali, Guilin and Lijiang via Xi'an during the cold season.