Westin spreads its network to more Chinese cities

Westin Hotels & Resorts is planning a wider hospitality network in China with new openings in Hainan, Qingdao and Chongqing.

The Westin Sanya Haitang Bay Resort, The Westin Haikou, The Westin Qingdao and The Westin Chongqing will consolidate the group's foothold in China's second- and third-tier cities.

"China is a very important market for the Westin brand and we will continue to grow and expand our portfolio of hotels here, ensuring that guests will leave feeling better than when they first arrived at our hotels," says Vincent Ong, senior brand director, Sheraton, Westin, Four Points by Sheraton, Aloft and Element, Asia-Pacific.

Each of the four properties, with the one in Sanya already operating, possess unique features, according to Tian Qingyao, Starwood's senior public relations manager for the hotel group's greater China region.

The Westin Sanya Haitang Bay, on the popular island province of Hainan, will mark the brand's first beach hotel resort in China.

Nestled between mountains, tropical greenery and the blue sea, the L-shaped building guarantees that almost all of its 448 guest rooms have ocean views. In addition, the hotel is right next to China's biggest duty-free shopping mall and steps away from beaches.

The Westin Haikou is expected to have the largest ballroom among hotels in Hainan's provincial capital when it opens in early 2014.

"The temperate climate and natural environment of this international tourist island allow us to provide various conference activities throughout the year," says Coetzer Deysel, general manager of the Westin Haikou.

Haikou is perfect for leisure or business travel and is developing the advantage of being an ideal business convention and exhibition center.

The Westin Haikou in the city center plans to offer a series of innovative strategies to create a conducive environment for meetings and guests, Deysel adds. The hotel has 12 meeting and multifunction rooms, with the largest occupying 1,018 square meters.

Scheduled to open in late 2013, The Westin Qingdao will offer guests the chance to drink at the highest club lounge in the coastal city in Shandong province famed for finely brewed beer. Some 240 meters aboveground, it sits at the top floor of a 54-story complex with high-end shopping malls and luxury apartments below.

"The Westin Qingdao is not just a new hotel. It is wellness lifestyle brought into the city," says Tomas Hansson, general manager of the hotel.

Market demand for quality hospitality is increasing in second-tier cities and offers Westin the opportunity to better serve guests through comprehensive branding programs, loyalty programs and various booking channels, he adds.

The Westin Chongqing, too, will impress guests when it opens in mid-2014.

The hotel has a fully glass-enclosed swimming pool on its 54th floor that allows swimmers an unobstructed bird's-eye view of the city's central business district of Jiefangbei.

Its lobby on the 51st floor will be the highest in the city, and most of its restaurants are located 200 meters aboveground so guests can enjoy meals with views, including the spreading vista of the Yangtze River.

Westin currently operates 41 hotels and resorts in the Asia-Pacific region, with 22 properties in its four-year development pipeline. On a global level, the brand is on track to open its 200th hotel in 2014.

liuweifeng@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 10/19/2013 page13)