International Branded Hotels Shanghai (IBHS) has donated RMB225,000 (around US$32,000) to the Shanghai Charity Foundation. The cheque was presented by William Hall, Chairman of IBHS, (on the left of the photo) at the Children’s Hospital of Fudan University on March 21. The money will be used to help children with congenital heart disease who are treated at the hospital.

IBHS currently has 60 members which are all four- and five-star hotels in Shanghai. William Hall said the hotels work with various charities individually or under a group banner. IBHS plans to hold several fundraising events in 2008; the major one being the Annual Charity Golf Tournament in June which will run for its fifth year in a row.
Source: IBHS

Swissôtel Grand, Shanghai will open on March 30, 2008 which will probably be a soft opening which means the hotel has a little time to shake any minor problems out.

It is less than five minutes’ walk away form Nanjing West Road, the city’s busiest shopping, entertainment and commercial center which has Jiu Guang City Plaza, Plaza 66 and Citic Square. It is about 50 minutes from Pudong International Airport and 20 minutes from Hongqiao Airport, and is close to popular attractions such as the Jing’an Temple, Shanghai Grand Theatre and Shanghai Museum.

It has 467 and 15 suites. Smoking and non-smoking rooms as well as rooms for the disabled are available.

Located on 5th floor of the hotel is the Spa & Fitness, featuring four individual treatment rooms and two luxurious VIP treatment rooms. There is also a comprehensive fitness center and an indoor heated swimming pool along with a childrens’ wading pool which seems an excellent and thoughtful addition.

This is a MICE hotel in that the hotel has over 1,190 square meters of meeting and conference area including multi-purpose function rooms equipped with the latest technologies, suitable for meetings, VIP business functions, social events or weddings.

Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts is owned by Fairmont Raffles Hotels International which has over 80 hotels in 25 countries worldwide under the Raffles, Fairmont and Swissôtel brands.
Source: eTravelBlanckboard

This is the start of a flood of extra travel. As part of efforts to boost exchanges during the upcoming Beijing Olympics this summer, the Korean government has decided to enable visa-free travel between Korea and China.

The Justice Ministry said it would begin it on a trial basis from July to September this year, as it expects that there to be a significant increase in the number of Korean and Chinese tourists visiting each other’s countries. That it is a fair judgement.
Before the visa-free program, the ministry will also grant multiple visas from late March to frequent Chinese visitors, especially businessmen and their families.

It will also provide such visas for small-scale traders and residents of 30 advanced countries that belong to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Officials say the program is expected to expand later to include a wider range of beneficiaries.

Also as a response to complaints that visa-free entry procedures for Chinese student trips that were introduced last year are still inconvenient, the ministry will no longer require passport submission and English interviews for teachers, and educational groups will also no longer need to fill out a group tourist entry form.

The minimum number of people to qualify as a tourist group will be cut from five to three.

Officials say the measures are expected to attract more tourists and help boost the Korean economy.

Last year, about 920,000 Chinese visited Korea, accounting for only 2.7% of the total number of Chinese traveling overseas but

Visitors who are brave enough will be able to interact with one of the Dalek figures that roam the concourse,

Helpful, full of information and only used by people under the age of, say, 21. Older people give it a wide berth even though it is great technology.
Source: Korea.net

On March 24 we ran a story on the BuddhaBus going from London to Urumqi in Xinjiang province. We queried at the time whether the name might cause offence to people of that religion.

An immediate response from Jack Phillips who runs the company. He said, inter alia,

I am the director of BuddhaBus Ltd. The company was featured on your website on Monday 10th March.
I am writing to inform you that we have responded to suggestions that the company name is inappropriate and insensitive. On reflection it seems shocking that none of us, nor any friends or family, were able to see this. With immediate effect we are changing the name of the company to ButterflyBus.
Our website is currently under development, and will relaunch this Wednesday, 12th March. We would like to apologise unreservedly for any offense caused by our use of the name. This was not our intention.
Jack Phillips

Which is the way to do it. See a problem, fix it and apologize.

The Guardian’s article by Benji Lanyado in response to this action is peculiar. Note that he may not be full time at The Guardian for he runs a blog which is called Benji’s Balls.

In The Guardian he wrote:

When Jack Phillips decided to name a new London to China bus The BuddhaBus, it appears that a line had been crossed. According to the China Economic Review, the name is ’somewhat unfortunate (and possibly religiously offensive)’
Strangely, other ventures running within China itself seem not to care about the associations of branding Buddha within a country that is home to at least 100m Buddhists, or anywhere from 8% to 80% of the population, according to different sources. China-based duo FM3 juxtaposed ‘Buddha’ with the even more unlikely ‘Machine’ — The Buddha Machine is a small musical loop player launched last year. Elsewhere in the world, Buddha Bar is a swanky franchise, with branches in Paris, Dubai, Vienna, and a particularly popular one in, yes, Shanghai.

If a journalist cannot find a reasonable figure for the number of Buddhists in China there is something amiss. For The Guardian to run a story written by one of its travel journalists which says ‘anywhere from 8% to 80% of the population, according to different sources’ is Buddhist is pretty amazing and makes me weep for my profession.

A conservative estimate, based upon partial returns, makes the number of monks about 400,000 and that of nuns about 10,000. The impression among the Buddhists is that the number of monks is increasing. That is quite probable in view of the rebuilding and repairing which is now in progress. 1

The difficulty assessing how many Buddhists are living in China comes from the fact that many followers also follow other religions simultaneously.

A Chinese Buddhist forum (bskk.com) currently has over 30,000 registered members and almost 1 million posts, which is about triple the amount of the largest English language Buddhist forum.

From which we can take it there are a lot of Buddhists in China and a reasonable estimate would be in the several million.

Then there is the question of distance. The bus goes from London and terminates in Urumqi and this was clearly stated in the original story. What is acceptable in Shanghai may not be acceptable in other parts of the country.

The distance from Urumqi to Shanghai is 2,041 miles or 3,284 kilometers or roughly London to St Petersburg.

Urumqi is the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the most ‘inland’ city in the world. Latest figures are that the population of Urumqi is 2,081,834 (now probably much higher) of which 70% are Han Chinese and, yes, a substantial proportion of them are Buddhists but will also follow other religions.

Finally Benji Lanyado is correct in writing there is a Buddha Bar in Shanghai. It is at 172 Maoming South Lu, near Fuxing Lu but, no, he is wrong, it is not part of a franchise. The picture on the left is of a customer doing her thing. And it is two thousand miles away from where the BuddhaBus (now the ButterflyBus) is going to stop and attitudes in the cosmopolitan city of Shanghai are very different from those in Urumqi.

The writer is not a Buddhist because he cannot accept the fact that in most versions of the religion women are born at a lower level than men. But he believes, with some certainty, that Benji Lanyado’s next incarnation will be as a flea in the anus of a dog.
Source of the Guardian bit

There is a great lesson for China, and indeed any country, about tourism in the problems that have hit the British tourist industry because of the soaring cost of visas and new security measures.

Tourism officials warn the industry is under threat and thousands of jobs are at stake because the cost of a visa from countries such as China has doubled and visitors must provide biometric information.

The concern is that Britain will come off itineraries because it is possible to get a single, cheaper visa which allows travel around 24 other European countries.

The cost of a tourist visa to Britain has risen from $72 to $126, which, understandably, has led to a drop in the number of applications.

Problems are exacerbated because holidaymakers needing a visa now have to travel to visa offices to give biometric information before they can get the document, adding to travel costs and leaving some people in remote areas with a journey of hundreds of miles.

The tourist organisation VisitBritain (itself suffering a budget cut) states China is one of the countries worst affected.

Chief executive Stephen Dowd of UKInbound — representing hundreds of businesses catering for overseas visitors — said there had been a ‘noticeable drop-off’ in business from visa countries.

He said, ‘I think in the long term it’s going to be a major problem. If we start losing hundreds, even thousands of jobs, everybody suffers and over the long term that’s exactly what’s going to happen.’

A Home Office spokesman, sounding exactly the way a Home Office spokesman should, said: ‘We are exploring ways to facilitate short visits to the UK for those with a Schengen visa (that is the visa for the European Community countries) without imposing significant extra financial burdens on the traveller. Our consultation on these new proposals is still ongoing, and no decisions have yet been made.’

He said the demand for biometric data was part of a ‘triple ring of security’ to stop people entering Britain illegally. Results suggest that is not working too well, either.
Source: Yorkshire Post

Three custom-made trains are being readied to run over the world’s highest railway.They will run between Beijing and Lhasa, and also between Beijing and Lijiang in Yunnan province.

Financing for the trains, known as Tangula luxury trains, totals $140 million

The Tangula rail cars are locally manufactured in China by BSP, a joint venture between the Canadian-based transport manufacturer Bombardier and its Chinese partners.

Each of the three trains will be equipped with 12 sleeper cars, two dining cars and a lounge car, and will accommodate up to 96 passengers in 48 spacious suites.
The suites will feature an en suite bathroom with shower, mini bar and in-room entertainment system with music, TV and satellite internet.
A butler, but of course, is on call throughout the journey, while a doctor is available during the ascent to Lhasa. Tickets are expected to be priced at about $5,000 per head compared with $50-$150 for the regular service.
For hospitality management and marketing of the trains, RailPartners has entered into an agreement with Kempinski, one of Europe’s oldest and most established five-star hotel groups.

Think superior-Orient Express and you have it about right.

The regular train service between Beijing and Lhasa that has been in operation since July 2006 takes almost 48 hours. But the luxury trains will take five days and four nights with stops along the way to visit tourist attractions. You cannot hurry perfection.
Source: Finance Asia.com

Super 8 China of the USA has been named as one of the ‘Best Employers in the China Hospitality Sector.’ This was announced at the China Hotel Industry Annual Human Resources Meeting held in Guangzhou. The event was co-hosted by China Hotel Magazine, Chinese Tourism Newspaper, Chinahotelhr.com, and China Hotel Industry Celebrity Club.

The award was based on national staff surveys, online and short message voting, and third-party expert reviews. Super 8 was recently appointed to the Beijing Olympic Village Management Team.

Mitchell A. Presnick, chairman and CEO of Super 8 China, said , ‘Super 8 China places great importance on contributing to the stable development of the Chinese economy hotel sector.’

Fang Guofan, Super 8 China’s senior vice president, said, ‘Super 8 China operates under three core values: “Super 8 Loves China”, “We Put People First”, and “Trust, Success, and Fairness”. It is gratifying to see the hospitality sector recognize our efforts.’

Super 8 Motels is one of the world’s largest economy lodging operators, with almost 2,100 hotels worldwide. The first Super 8 opened in Aberdeen, South Dakota, USA in 1974, charging US$8.88 per night.

Super 8 entered the China market in 2004 and opened its first hotel in Beijing on June 8, 2004. So far, the company has approximately 130 hotels either open or under construction in more than 70 cities across China.
Source: Earth Times

Starwood plans to set up at least 30 hotels a year in China over the next three years to sidestep a looming recession in its main U.S. market.

Starwood has 41 hotels in China, the world’s fastest growing major economy, and its Asian business has been bolstered by a regional travel boom. However, Asia Pacific President Miguel Ko said, ‘We will, in the medium and long term, be quite immune from a downturn in North America. In the short term, about 25% of our business is still from outside of Asia — 12% from North America — but that percentage is decreasing.

‘In the old days, the yield for Asian business was lower, but that has now changed. The Asian business is now yielding as attractively as the North American and Western European businesses in average room rate, consumption of food and beverage, and use of the facilities for the hotel.’

Starwood owns, operates, or has franchised 896 hotels across the world. It has 136 hotels in Asia.
The firm has sealed deals for two joint ventures to set up ‘Aloft’ hotels in China, each costing between $10 million and $15 million.

Starwood is reducing its investments in real estate and increasingly focusing on franchise agreements and management contracts.  According to its website in 2006 it sold 43 hotels for approximately $4.5 billion.

In China, the firm’s Sheraton brand is the most popular although the brand faces difficulties in the United States through uneven standards.

Rising wages, higher costs of living and a growing need for trained talent putting pressure on firm’s development plans.

Starwood plans to add 15,000 staff in Asia over the next three years — 98% to be hired locally — to add to the 36,000 staff already in the region.

Miguel Ko said, ‘I think the day when you needed a Caucasian man standing in the lobby as general manager to signal that it is an international style hotel is over.’
Source: The Guardian

There is a long and detailed report in 4Hoteliers dealing with economy hotels in China. It is very comprehensive and some of the facts are fascinating and surprising. For example, despite all of the activity and profitability dealt with in the report one fact stands out:

Currently, economy hotels represent just 10% of the overall hotel industry in China. Which means it has a long, long way to grow.

The report states that since the first opened in 1997, economy hotels in mainland China have spread far and wide. To a small extent his is because of tourism, both from overseas and, more importantly, domestic.

China has become an important tourism destination in Asia and the fifth-largest tourism country in the world. However, domestic tourism alone generated US$781.9 billion last year, nearly 20 times the revenue of 2000.

A study conducted by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) Tourism Research Center showed that 90% of economy hotel guests are domestic travelers and 10% are inbound travelers.

This study also reported that business travelers are the major demand generators for economy hotels, representing roughly 65% of the economy hotel market in 2006.

The meeting and group contingent comprised 9% of the total, and leisure demand generated the remaining 26%.

To read this detailed and fascinating report click on Source.
Source: 4Hoteliers

Rendezvous Hotels & Resorts International will manage a new hotel to be built in Shanghai. The 4 star, two hundred room hotel, to be opened under Rendezvous’ The Marque Collection of Hotels brand, will be named the Marque Hotel Yu Garden, Shanghai and is due to open in mid-2009.

This is the second property to be announced under the Marque brand in China, after the Marque Hotel, Guilin, which will open later this year. The new hotel will complement Rendezvous’ existing property, Rendezvous Merry Hotel, Shanghai which has operated successfully since 2004.

The developers are Shanghai Sin Tat Lee Property Development. It will incorporate the Marque Hotel Yu Garden, Shanghai into a 17 storey, multi-use complex with threeapartment buildings and a shopping mall on the podium levels.

Centrally located on He Nan Road South, just a few hundred meters away from the famous Yu Gardens and 1.5 km from the Bund Area, the hotel is close to Shanghai’s CBD. Hotel facilities will include a café, lobby bar and conference rooms.

A gym, out-door swimming pool and other leisure facilities will be located in a Club House on levels 6 and 7 of the hotel building. The illustration is of the Marque in Sydney which shows that there is a solid, basic standard which is very affordable.
Source: eTravelBlackboard