IHG rolls out finest elements of China in HUALUXE hotels

HUALUXE Hotels and Resorts, a Chinese hospitality solution designed for Chinese business elites but underpinned by internationally renowned services, has come to life after three years of preparation from one of the world's top hoteliers.

Chief Executive Officer of InterContinental Hotels Group Richard Solomons and his global senior management team visited the HUALUXE Nanchang hotel at the newly developed high-tech zone of the capital of Jiangxi province on May 12.

HUALUXE Hotels and Resorts as an important milestone for the group because the brand epitomizes the finest elements of China's world-renowned hospitality, Solomons said. HUALUXE combines hua, which means majestic China, and luxe, representing luxury.

"We have an ambitious plan for Hualuxe Hotels and Resorts, including openings in 100 Chinese cities by 2030 and to cities outside China where the Chinese enjoy traveling, such as New York and London," said Solomons.

"The first two hotels in Nanchang and Yangjiang are located in China's heartland and working with our trusted owners. We are confident they will be welcomed by both Chinese and international consumers," Solomons said.

HUALUXE Hotels and Resorts is the world's first international luxury hotel brand specifically designed for Chinese consumers, according to InterContinental Hotels Group.

The HUALUXE brand was developed in response to the group's three core growth opportunities.

First is the consumer demand for an upscale international hotel brand that demonstrates pride in Chinese customs and reflects local traditions.

Second is the opportunities provided by the Chinese tourism market, which is expected to see more than 3.6 billion domestic travelers this year, and the Chinese hotel market, which is projected to grow by 5-8 percent annually by 2030.

Situated in one of the city's tallest buildings with a sky lobby overlooking the city, the hotel in Nanchang has 281 guestrooms, with 21 clubrooms and deluxe suites from the 39th and 56th floors.

With three distinctive restaurants and top-notch banquet facilities and an 800-square-meter pillarless ballroom, the hotel is owned by Greenland Group, one of the world's largest real estate companies who recently completed its IPO.

As one of InterContinental Hotels Group's long-standing partners, Greenland has been working with the group on seven hotels including the InterContinental, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, and now the HUALUXE Hotels and Resorts.

Both companies are also seeking cooperation in the United States and Europe where Greenland is focusing on developing their overseas distributions.

The world largest hotelier has ambitious plans for the HUALUXE Hotels and Resorts in China and internationally.

Since the group first announced the launch of the brand in 2012, it has signed 24 hotels into the pipeline in 20 cities across China including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Xi'an and Haikou.

As Chinese outbound travel continues to grow and build momentum, the group also plans to introduce the brand into key international destinations, such as London and New York, to meet the specific requirements of the Chinese travelers wherever they may be.

Woven into every detail of the luxury brand's service and design is an acknowledgement of Chinese culture and heritage, with emphasis on the Chinese value for etiquette and recognition of status.

Adhering to these values means the HUALUXE Hotels and Resorts is able to satisfy the demands of Chinese business and social interactions.

The third growth pillar for the HUALUXE brand are the international opportunities for Chinese travelers, where outbound trips from China are projected to double from 100 million in 2014 to 200 million by 2030.

According to Oxford Economics, a commercial venture with Oxford University's Said Business School to provide economic forecasting and modeling to United Kingdom companies and financial institutions expanding abroad, in the next decade, more than 60 million Chinese households will cross the annual income threshold of $35,000, at which point international travel will become more afordable.

To meet that spike in demand, the group in April launched "Zhou Dao", its global China Ready Program for its hotels around the world to provide a familiar, relaxing experience for Chinese guests to make them feel at home when staying at the group's hotels abroad.

Amenities and services include Chinese speaking staf at the front desk or via 24/7 phone support, acceptance of China UnionPay cards, Chinese channels on in-room TVs, Chinese tea and a variety of Chinese food and beverage options to meet the needs of Chinese guests at hotels participating in the program.

The group has also invested heavily in equipping its hotels' staff with Chinese etiquette, culture and hospitality training. By the end of 2014, more than 10,000 employees around the world had undertaken "Zhou Dao" service training.

Last year was the 30th year anniversary for IHG in China. "As the largest international hotels group by far in the country, we have twice as many hotel as our nearest competitor," said Solomons." It took us 20 years to grow to 50 hotels and 10 years later we had grown to 243 hotels.

The CEO said IHG in China will grow even faster in the future, with more than 195 hotels in the pipeline that are due to open in the next few years.

"It is a big initiative for us," said Solomons. "This week, we are holding (in Nanchang) a meeting for the IHG global executive committee as well as seeing the HUALUXE hotel and learning about the brand. Chinese outbound travel is a big topic for us. It is extremely important that Chinese people feel welcomed when they travel to a new environment for the first time."

zhuanti@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 05/13/2015 page12)