True, you would not normally associate the Arabian nights with Hangzhou. Still Muslim Chinese were a strong influence in trade in Huangzhou and several relics linking China to the Arab world exist. These are featured at the Arabian Travel Market 2008. This tourism promotion of Hangzhou made it the first ever Chinese city to aggressively promote tourism within the UAE and in the Middle East.

In fact, Arabian link or no, Hangzhou is a remarkably attractive city. Marco Polo visited Hangzhou in the late 13th century and referred to the city as ‘beyond dispute the finest and the noblest in the world.’

He called the city Kinsay which simply means ‘capital’ in Chinese (actually Polo used a Persianized version of the word). Although he exaggerated — Marco Polo was not always a teller of the absolute truth — and said the city was over one hundred miles in diameter and had 12,000 stone bridges, still he thought the city remarkable.

He wrote: ‘The number and wealth of the merchants, and the amount of goods that passed through their hands, was so enormous that no man could form a just estimate thereof.’

Which gave Li Hong, Director of Hangzhou Tourism Commission, a running start when, at the Arabian Travel Market, he urged Arab tourists to come to Hangzhou and see for themselves the Phoenix Mosque, one of four ancient Islamic mosques in China built during the Tang Dynasty between 618 and 907 A.D.

Plus the tomb of Bhatia, the Arabian scholar and doctor, who came to the capital of ancient China, Lin-an (now known as Hangzhou) in Southern Song Dynasty, fell in love with the city and settled there spreading Islam in the area dating back to as far as 800 years ago. And as an added benefit more than 700 Lanzhou hand-extended noodle shops selling halal traditional Muslim food and qualified Hangzhou cuisine.

The tourism official said that their participation in the Arabian Travel Market 2008 demonstrated their commitment to a long friendly relation with the UAE, especially Dubai.
Source: MenaFN

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

Carlyle Group plans to invest RMB100 million ($13.2 million) in a private hotel company, Kaiyuan Century International Hotel Management. According to a report a senior executive said Kaiyuan has been in discussions with several international investors including Carlyle. Carlyle Group is a private equity investment company and it is noteworthy that one of the managing directors is named Ned Kelly (more formally known as Edward J. Kelly III).

In Asia Carlyle has offices in offices in Beijing, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo.

Kaiyuan manages five-star hotel brand New Century Grand and four-star brand New Century hotel. The company has 20 hotels in operation. All are located in key commercial and tourist cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou (shown in our illustration), Ningbo, Taizhou, Shaoxing, Lishui, Qiandao Lake, Xuzhou and Kaifeng, with nearly 6,000 guest rooms.

Carlyle is clearly in a serious investing phase. It recently paid RMB492 million ($65 million) to acquire a 26% stake in a Chongqing Polycomp International Corporation, and RMB605 million ($80 million) for a 49% stake in Yangzhou Chengde Steel Tube.
Source: Pacific Epoch

RReef, the property investment arm of Deutsche Bank has said it plans to develop at least 25 hotels in China at a cost of $550 million, along with private equity partner H&Q Asia Pacific.

The partners in the 50-50 joint venture said they planned to acquire at least 15 sites in the next three years.

Brian Chinappi, managing director at RReef and seen here, said, ‘We find there’s a niche. There’s a lot of talk of all these hotels being built in China, but only 10% are internationally branded.’

The planned hotels, which will cater largely to business travelers, will be managed under the mid-range Hilton Garden Inn brand, part of Hilton Hotels.

The Chinese hotel market, worth around $15 billion in annual gross revenue, is growing at an annual rate of about 15%. That growth is mostly fuelled by domestic travel. However, the number of foreign visitors to China was also increasing at around 16% with most on a business trip.

Brian Chinappi said that building five-star hotels made little investment sense. ‘The situation with land prices and room rates, means that it’s very hard to make those investments work.’ So RReef is going for the middle sector which is Hilton Garden Inn.

Koos Klein, Hilton’s Asia-Pacific president, speaking about this deal at the Reuter’s conference, made a remark which may come back to haunt him. He said, ‘There are plenty of unbranded hotels in China, where you might want to sleep next to the bed rather than in it.’

He added that the partnership between RReef and H&Q would allow Hilton Garden Inn to popularize its brand in just a couple of years.
Source: Reuters

Marriott will have 15 hotels in the greater Shanghai region by the end of 2009 with the opening of the 330-room JW Marriott Hotel Hangzhou and the 330-room Courtyard by Marriott Hangzhou City Centre in 2008.

Both hotels are through Hangzhou Wulin Real Estate. They will be part of an 80,000-square-metre complex located in the heart of the city’s central business district. The hotels will be connected by a building — Marriott calls it a palladium which is a splendid term — that will house conference space, restaurants and lounges, and other public facilities.

(Palladium is a metal but is also defined as safeguard from a statue of Athena that was believed to safeguard the ancient city of Troy. My own guess is that its use here is derived from the famous Italian renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, who possibly provided the inspiration for the building. An intriguing thought.)

Hangzhou is an attractive business and leisure destination and a well-known weekend getaway and vacation-home destination for residents in the Greater Shanghai Region.

Marriott Hotel Hangzhou will have 1,650 square meters of function space, including a 950-square-metre ballroom that will be divisible into three sections and eight additional meeting rooms in varying configurations. Which makes it ideal as a MICE hotel.

Courtyard by Marriott will have an executive floor and lounge and a business centre and guests of the Courtyard will have access to the JW Marriott Hotel Hangzhou’s meeting space, restaurants and lounges, health club and spa.

In addition to these two Hangzhou hotels, four Marriott International properties are now under construction in the Greater Shanghai Region: the 276-room The Ritz-Carlton, Pudong Shanghai (opening mid-2010), the 680-room Renaissance Shanghai Zhongshan Park Hotel (opening mid-2007), the 327-room Renaissance Shanghai Yuyuan Hotel (opening mid-2007) and the 333-room Ningbo Marriott Hotel (opening mid-2008).

Currently there are 10 Marriott’s in the Greater Shanghai Region.
Source: eBlackboard Travel

The Radisson Plaza Hotel Hangzhou is offering a special package for the Chinese New Year holiday for RMB898. Besides a few other things, it includes buffet breakfast up to 2 people, a 50% discount on breakfast for child under 12, free use of sauna/gym/swimming pool, free Internet and late check-out till 4pm. Valid from February 10 to March 4.

The hotel lies in the center of Hangzhou’s business and shopping districts within walking distance to the city’s famous West Lake. It has 284 guest rooms including 23 Business Class Suites, 1 Imperial Suite and 21 residential-like Duplex Suites. 
Source: Press Release Radisson Plaza Hotel Hangzhou