Otis, probably the most famous elevator company in the world, has won a $23 million contract to provide high-speed elevators at China’s Guangzhou International Financial Center, a hotel and office building that will be among the tallest in the world.

Otis will install a mix of its ‘Skyway’ double-deck elevators with speeds up to 1,378 feet per minute, and its ‘Elevonic’ high-speed gearless elevators capable of up to 1,575 feet per minute

When completed for the 2010 Asia Games in Guangzhou, China, the tower will reach a height of 1,417 feet and be among the tallest buildings in the world. The 103-story building is designed for offices on lower floors with the luxury hotel, as yet unnamed, above the 70th floor for a luxury hotel.

Otis bills itself as the world’s largest manufacturer and maintainer of ‘people-moving products’ including elevators, escalators, and moving walkways.

Elisha Graves Otis, as seen in our splendid illustration, sold his first safety elevators in 1853. Otis’s invention increased public confidence in elevators, and therefore allowed for the mass construction of a new trend of building: the skyscraper.

The company pioneered the development of the safety elevator, invented by Otis, which used a special mechanism to lock the elevator car in place should the hoisting ropes fail.

Otis made skyscrapers possible by providing safe mechanical transport to upper floors. The company he founded became known as the Otis Elevator Company, the largest elevator company in the world.
Source: Hartford Business

The architect of the Grand Hyatt Guangzhou, Peter Remedios, calls his latest project, scheduled to open in spring 2008, ‘an architectural tour de force’. Architects do not do bashful well.

Situated in Guangzhou’s new central business district of Tianhe — whose English name is Pearl River New Town — Grand Hyatt Guangzhou is located in one wing of a brand new streamlined twin-tower building.

This is the first international hotel in Guangzhou to feature a ’sky lobby’ located 22 floors up. Like many other areas in the hotel, it offers expansive views across the Pearl River and Tianhe CBD.

The hotel has 375 guestrooms each with a bathroom island – incorporating a separate soaking tub and rain shower.

Peter Remedios said, ‘It can be open and as sexy as you want, or closed off for privacy.’ Which could lead to some interesting arguments if you are staying there with your wife.

A specially designed inset wall frame allows a 37-inch multi-channel LCD flat-screen TV to be neatly stored flush with the wall and swung out when required for viewing from certain angles.

For it to be used as a MICE hotel on the third floor, the hotel’s three interconnecting sections of the Grand Ballroom can be augmented by fully enclosed VIP and bridal rooms. There are also six function rooms and a Business Centre on the same level.

Hyatt currently operates 10 hotels in Greater China, including Grand Hyatt Beijing, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, Grand Hyatt Shanghai, Hyatt on the Bund, Shanghai, Grand Hyatt Taipei, Hyatt Regency Dongguan, Hyatt Regency Hangzhou, Hyatt Regency Jing Jin City Resort and Spa, Hyatt Regency Tianjin and Hyatt Regency Xian. An additional 12 hotels are under development.
Source: China NewsWire

Four Points by Sheraton will open four new hotels in China this year.

These will be Four Points by Sheraton Changshu; Four Points by Sheraton Hangzhou, Binjiang; Four Points by Sheraton Beijing, Haidian and Four Points by Sheraton Guangzhou, Dongpu.

Miguel Ko, president of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Asia Pacific, said, ‘Four Points by Sheraton is an ideal product for many markets in Asia Pacific because the brand caters to both mid-scale business and leisure travelers, while meeting the demands of meeting and event planners.’

Business and MICE is a good combination.

He said, ‘The strong demand for moderately priced lodging coupled with the increase in domestic travel in many Asian markets is helping to propel the brand’s growth to a level that is expected to rival that of Starwood’s luxury and upper upscale brands.’

Frits Van Paasschen, president of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, is alleged to have said — but it is London to a brick it is from a flack’s fertile imagination — ‘The uncomplicated positioning is unique and assures the Simple Pleasures programming is right on target for Four Points. It also complements the aloft brand’s bold platform, driving solid brand differentiation for Starwood in the select serve market.’
Source: ETBMICE.com

Ritz-Carlton is the quiet performer in luxury hotels. For many traveling executives of the higher levels of management it is the automatic hotel of choice. Now there is the Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou which is the fourth in China with new openings scheduled for Sanya, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Macau in the next two years.

Set in the Tianhe District, the Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou occupies the 20th to 38th floors of a modern building. The hotel offers 351 guestrooms with distinctive amenities and views of the Pearl River. The entry level guestrooms are spacious at 50 square meters.

This is the seventieth Ritz-Carlton and they all have something in common. The first is the daft idea that the word ‘the’ before the title should always be capitalized. Not quite as daft as the way the InterContinental used to insist on Inter.Continental, but close.

The second is the quite amazing staff service.

They truly treat people staying at the hotel as honored guests. The writer can think of individual hotels that achieve this standard but no other chain of hotels that manages it. Quite remarkable.

There is a story which should be followed up that the staff has the right to offer a credit on the spot if something is wrong. It would not surprise me

There are also The Residences at the Ritz-Carlton which are located in the same building as the hotel and accessible by a separate entrance and lobby, The Residences features 91 serviced residences with from one to four bedrooms ranging between 111 to 275 square meters. This is where you would stay if you were going to be there for a long time and did not have to worry about money.

This is also a MICE hotel — for up-market MICE — with more than 1000 square meters of space, including a 648-square-meter ballroom.
Source: Asia Travel Tips

Swire, which as a holding company has a finger in many pies ranging from Cathay Pacific to Coca Cola Bottlers, is now entering the hotel business.

Although not much has been announced about it plans Swire Properties has said the hotel unit will set up and manage small luxury properties not only in China, but also in the UK.

The first property in China is called The Opposite House and should open in Beijing in June. Set in the Sanlitun district of the city, it has been designed by renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. This is effectively a boutique hotel with 89 rooms and 10 suites.

In 2010, Swire Hotels plans to open a 100-room property in Guangzhou.

It is developing a collection of UK luxury boutique hotels to be launched in 2009 and has already acquired properties in Bristol, Cheltenham, Exeter and Brighton currently operating under the name of Alias Hotels.

This does sound the sort of place you take someone who is not your wife for a weekend. There is an excellent cartoon which has a receptionist saying, ‘Welcome back again, Mr Smith’ but we thought it inappropriate for these pages. Nor do we think it tactful to suggest that Swire should invest in the American No-tell Motel chain which allegedly thrives in the United States.

Managing director of Swire Hotels is Brian Williams, who spent 17 years with the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group and was chief executive of the Scotsman Hotel Group before joining Swire Properties in January 2006. Which suggests that this has been at least on the possible list of investments for Swire for two years or more.

Swire Properties is understood to be keen to establish a portfolio of as many as 100 hotels over the next few years.
Source: Forbes and research

Dubai-based Jumeirah hotel group looks to build ten hotels in China by the end of 2010. This will be the group’s largest expansion into Asia.

Tricia Warwick, Jumeirah VP Sales, said in Gulf News, ‘We are looking all over Asia for new developments but China is a key market. Two-thirds of our 16 hotels in Asia will be in China.’

So far Jumeirah, famous for the Burj Al Arab the world’s tallest all-suite hotel and seen in our illustration, has plans for three properties in China located in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou.

The HanTong Jumeirah Shanghai was recently voted the ‘Most Anticipated Hotel’ in Shanghai at the 2007 World Traveller Awards China chapter although it is very difficult to get excited about an award which seems to have been invented purely for the sake of making an award.

Scheduled to launch August this year, the 338-room hotel is curiously said in the press release as being ’set to take advantage of post-Olympic crowds.’

There is very little evidence that Olympic Games, once they are over, bring crowds of visitors. Or are these business people who have delayed until the games are over?

Currently in Dubai, Jumeirah has four properties under construction. Within three years, the hotel group intends to hold a global portfolio of 57 properties.
Source: eTravel Blackboard

Days Inn Business Place brand is at it sounds. A hotel designed for the business traveler.Harry Tan, president and CEO of Days Inn China, said, ‘The Days Inn Business Place is designed with the business traveler in mind and is ready come in to the Chinese market.’

So each room has an oversized spacious work area and chair, high intensity lighting, desk lamp, easy to reach data port and electrical outlets, a full size ironing board and iron, a coffee maker, an in room snack pack and beverage for every night of their stay. Free local calls, free broadband internet connection and Wi-Fi broadband internet connection in public areas and chargers for mobile phone available at the Front Desk. (The illustration is of the Days Inn Business Place in Denver, Colorado which the writer stayed at last year. The one’s in China will probably be a bit more flash. Less in the American Traditional style.)

The Business Center has fax machines (bit dated now but they are still being used. And, useless bit of trivia, they date from 1853. And, not, that is not a mistake.)

Days Inn China entered the Chinese market in 2004 and this adds to its range of brands. Days Inn China has already signed three Days Inn Business Places: Days Inn Business Place Diderenhe Yinchuan, Days Inn Business Place Yinfeng Beijing and Days Inn Business Place Shenyang.

Harry Tan says, ‘Days Inn China will continue to develop more Days Inn Business Place in Beijing, Tianjin, Guangzhou and other cities as well.’ It is a remarkably good idea. The sort of place that any perpetually perambulating business person could work from.
Source: CCFA.org.cn

Tourism Malaysia will open new offices in Xian and Xiamen in China within this third quarter. This is in addition to the existing offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu.

Tourism Malaysia deputy director-general, Razali Mohd Daud, said promotional materials in China would also be developed to specially cater to that particular market segment.

Hello Holidays director, Tai Poh Kim, said: ‘Tourism Malaysia should also look at promoting new destinations to China, other than the traditional favorites of this market segment, that is, Malacca, Genting Highlands and Kuala Lumpur.’

For the first quarter this year, Malaysia received 174,842 visitors from China. This is an increase of 56.1% over the first quarter of 2006. China is the fifth largest market for Malaysia.
Source: TTG TravelHub

The saying used to be that the sun never sets on the British Empire. Looked at worldwide the same could be said of Starwood. In China Starwood Hotels and Resorts is working on the basis it will become the second largest travel and tourism destination in the world after the United States. So its policy is to sign more hotels at an increasing rate. After opening six new hotels during 2006, Starwood is expected to open 33 new hotels in the region within the next three years.

Some current developments:

Aloft Beijing, Haidian will be part of the recently signed Four Points by Sheraton Beijing, Haidian. Facilities will include 200 guestrooms, 3,900 square feet meeting space (think MICE), a fitness centre, indoor pool and three restaurants.
W Guangzhou Hotel & Residences in the economic centre of Pearl River Delta, is due to open in 2010. 320 rooms and suites, 167 serviced apartments, 16,000 sq ft meeting space.
Four Points by Sheraton Guangzhou, Dongpu opening in 2009. 310 guestrooms, over 5,800 sq ft meeting space, three restaurants, outdoor pool, health club and spa.
Sheraton Huadu Resort, Guangzhou is expected to open in 2009. It will have 97 villas with mountain and water views plus all the amenities of an upscale hotel.
The Westin Shimei Bay Resort, Hainan Island will opening in 2010. 40 villas, 124 rooms, 4,300 sq ft meeting space, three restaurants, health club, spa, outdoor swimming pool and tennis court.
A Le Meridien resort is set to open on Hainan Island in 2008.
The Westin Xian should open 2010. 296 rooms, 11,300 sq ft meeting space, five restaurants, health club, spa and indoor heated pool.
The St. Regis Resort, Lhasa in the Tibet Autonomous region is opening in 2010. 169 rooms, 9,000 sq ft meeting space, three restaurants, health club, spa, indoor heated pool and business centre.
Sheraton Nanchang Hotel will open in 2011 as part of a mixed use complex including offices and shopping. 350 rooms, three restaurants, lounge, spa, health club, indoor pool and over 20,000 sq ft meeting space.
Westin Tianjin Hotel and Residences set to open in 2010. 300 rooms, 150 residences, four restaurants, health club, spa, indoor heated pool and 17,000 sq ft meeting space.

And that is probably a far from complete list. It is an astounding and extended increase in development for one country.
Source: eTravelBlackboard

The Westin Guangzhou is now accepting reservations for arrival on or after May 8, 2007 which means that the opening is for sure.

It is in the heart of Tian He the business district and adjacent to the CITIC Plaza, which is home to the majority of the Fortune 500 companies in Guangzhou. And it is only a short walk to high-end retail shopping and the Guangzhou East Train Station — a major access point into Guangzhou from Hong Kong.

There are 448 rooms for guests and a variety of function and meeting rooms for MICE events. There is also a health club and spa facilities.

Plus five restaurants and bars including a Latin American restaurant with live entertainment and, for Americans, a totally incorrect Cuban Cigar Lounge. Sounds great.
Source: Starwood Hotels