The Interlaken OCT Hotel provides an European–style five star experience within Interlaken Village in the eastern part of Shenzhen. Situated in a panoramic position between lovely lakes and forest, the area enjoys a mild and stable climate throughout the year. Visually the hotel is quite stunning. You need to go to the Internet site to get the full effect.

Now the hotel has a golf promotion package.

There are two rates: the three townhouses work ona base price of RMB2368 per room. Then there are nine pool villas at RMB3368 a room as the base price.

On these packages you get all sort of goodies thrown in including daily admission to the Theme Park use of the spa (massage is an extra) and breakfast.

The hotel is built very much in the European style and some of the interiors are quite stunning. There is even 24-hour personalized butler services.

Worth visiting the site just for the pictures which are amazing.
Source: Interlaken Hotel

The Motorhome Hotel in the OCT East eco-tourism area in Shenzhen has both rooms and motorhomes available to guests. As well as the 200 guestrooms it plans to have 15 vehicles (one is pictured) in the second half of this year at the Wind Valley, each one sleeping six people, which guests can use to travel around the area’s lakes, forest and golf course. 

Two of these vehicles are currently on display outside the Interlaken OCT Hotel Shenzhen (which is separate from the Motorhome Hotel).

The eco-tourism part is, according to the webiste of the Interlaken OCT Hotel Shenzhen, aimed at ‘bringing urbanites back to nature’. They have designed various tourist attractions to do so which include three valleys and three towns.
Source: The Interlaken OCT Hotel

The Shenzhen Grand View Hotel, in south China’s Guangdong Province, has lost all of its five stars. This has become China’s first five-star hotel to lose its star status after a re-evaluation by China’s tourism authority.

Partially the fall from grace is the result of serious amounts of money being misused by a previous manager.

All of which is a warning to other hotels for the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) has begun re-evaluating the star ratings of Chinese hotels. Previously, once you won your stars you had them forever.

The CNTA started re-evaluations of star hotels last year, and hundreds of hotels, with four-star status or below, were blacklisted. The story is that the re-evaluations of star hotels will be conducted every five years but there is evidence that, in fact, it is a continuing process.

The Shenzhen Grand View, which was founded in 1999, was the first five-star hotel to lose its status in a re-evaluation.

General manager Deng Jingchen said, with great and praiseworthy honesty, ‘Our hotel failed the re-evaluation on account of substandard facilities.’

He explained the hotel was unable to refurbish because its previous general manager ran away with tens of millions of renminbi in funds last year, seriously affecting the hotel’s operations.
He said the 221-room hotel was still open for business, and was making improvements to meet standards.

A staff member of the China Hotel Management Association said, ‘The CNTA’s move could help consolidate standards in the hotel sector, and the canceling of permanent star status will prompt hotels to make more efforts to build their reputations.’
Source: English.eastday.com

Galaxy Real Estate has entered into an agreement with Ritz-Carlton Hotels to manage and operate a hotel within the Galaxy Center in Shenzhen, which is becoming a new commercial landmark in the Central Business District of the city.

The project is being developed by Galaxy Real Estate, a leading property developer in Shenzhen. With a total gross floor area of over 120,000 square meters, the Galaxy Centre will integrate high office, retail and hotel use within the development.

The structure associated with the Galaxy Center was topped out on June 30, 2007 and the project is expected to be fully operational by mid 2008. (The illustration IS of a Ritz-Carlton but not in Shenzhen. It is, in fact, in Sarasota but the style will be the same.)
Source: eMediaWire

The Marco Polo hotel group is expanding in Asia and especially into China. Jeffrey Flowers, president of the Hong Kong-based hotel group, waxing poetic used the history and imagery of Marco Polo to get his point across. He said, ‘Like Marco Polo did a long time ago, we are setting out on a new journey of discovery this year. We are digging deep into our roots, which are firmly in Asia, to offer travelers a unique experience — a blend of contemporary Chinese meets modern Italian.’

(In fact, there are many claims that Marco Polo was, in truth, a Croatian so perhaps a few Croatian touches would not be out of order. That is him in the illustration having a chat with Kublai Khan and he does look more Croatian than Italian. But, perhaps, it is less than a perfect portrait.)

Jeffrey Flowers in his career has been general manager of the Plaza in New York which is possibly the most expensive hotel in the world and plainly will be used to working with a high level of style. In that opening statement with its geographical flourishes he might have included besides Croatia, Thailand — which Marco Polo probably never visited although his voyage of 1291 came very close — which supplies the Mandara Spa which is a feature of the Marco Polo Shenzhen which was opened last year. And is appearing in other Marco Polo hotels.

Marco Polo has just added a new sales and development office in Shanghai, complementing existing sales offices one of which is in Beijing.

In December an opening is planned for a Marco Polo in Wuhan. Jeffrey Flowers said, ‘With its outstanding river front location, the Marco Polo Wuhan will become the leading hotel in the city and will be the flagship of the Wharf China’s new development, Wuhan Times Square.’

The company has also announced a new project in Chengdu.

Next up, early next year, will be the Marco Polo Parkside in Beijing which is located only 800 meters from the entrance to the 2008 Olympic Games and is on a spot undoubtedly visited by Marco Polo in 1264.

Going forward are joint venture projects such as the Marco Polo Xiamen and yet another in Shenzhen neither of which Marco Polo visited. But the style will be the same.
Source: 4Hoteliers and research

The new Sheraton Shenzhen Futian Hotel, part of the Starwood Group, is in the heart of Shenzhen’s new central business districts between the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center and Shenzhen Civic Center. It is directly accessible to Shenzhen’s new Metro system, which connects to the Hong Kong border and Shenzhen’s major shopping, sightseeing, and business districts.

Half an hour away is Shenzhen International Airport with Hong Kong International Airport being an hour away.

The hotel has 418 guest rooms and suites. All guest rooms have High Speed Internet Access and a widescreen plasma TV.

Sheraton was the first international hotel company in China, with the opening of Great Wall Sheraton in Beijing in 1985. At present, it has more than 30 hotels open in China, 37 new projects will open in the next three years, and 7 of them will open in this year.

Tomas Hansson, general manager of the hotel, said the ‘focus is right here in Shenzhen and the Pearl River Delta in the next half of the year. Many more Starwood hotels will open in Guangdong Province.’
Source: Starwood Hotels

Holiday Inn is offering special guest room rates during the Spring holiday at its hotels in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Daya Bay and Zhuhai from February 16-25 (inclusive).

The hotel brand is operated by InterContinental Hotels Group, which also owns Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts.

‘Gong xi fa cai’!
Source: PR Holiday Inn (Chinese website)

Jeffrey Flowers, President of the Hong Kong-based hotel group, Marco Polo, said, ‘Like Marco Polo did a long time ago, we are setting out on a new journey of discovery this year. We are digging deep into our roots, which are firmly in Asia, to offer travelers a unique experience — a blend of contemporary Chinese meets modern Italian.’

Marco Polo Hotels, owned by the Hong Kong Wharf Group, last year added a new hotel in China, the Marco Polo Shenzhen in the Futian District of Shenzhen in China. It also added a new sales and development office in Shanghai, complementing existing sales offices in Beijing. It has also announced new projects in Wuhan and Chengdu. In April, it will open the Marco Polo Parkside in Beijing, located only 800 meters from the entrance to the 2008 Olympic Games.

A December opening is planned for the Marco Polo Wuhan which will be the centerpiece of Wharf China’s new development, Wuhan Times Square. Marco Polo Hotels now has a portfolio of 13 properties in Asia including: Marco Polo Parkside, Beijing (2007); Marco Polo Xidan, Beijing; Marco Polo, Chengdu (2009); Marco Polo, Shenzhen; Marco Polo, Wuhan (2007); Marco Polo, Xiamen; Marco Polo, Wuxi (2011).
Source: Press release

Dongguan, a city located in South China’s Guangdong Province between Guangzhou, the province’s capital, and Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. The city houses 15 five-star hotels, accounting for 5% of China’s total and nearly twice that of the province’s capital, Guangzhou.

The hotel industry of Dongguan has attracted more than RMB25 billion (US$3.2 billion) of private investment in the past 10 years. More than 90% of the 95 hotels are owned by local millionaires. Just two decades ago, the southern city was just a village.

What makes the private investors confident is the prosperous business travel market in Dongguan.

More than eight million business people visit Dongguan every year. Some attend the exhibitions held almost twice every month covering different industries, from furniture to textiles, from electronics to sweaters and shoes. Some are business executives with the more than 15,000 foreign-invested enterprises and 300,000 private enterprises in Dongguan.

The average occupancy rate of hotels in Dongguan is 58%, while four- and five-star hotels have a much higher rate at 70%.

Nearly 80% of China’s 12,000 hotels, which have at least one star, are still State or collectively owned. But over 90% of Dongguan’s hotels are privately owned.

With its economy growing 22% annually, Dongguan has become one of China’s major sources for exports. Its export volume has been China’s third largest for eight consecutive years.

The illustration was, honest, taken in Dongguan although it has nothing to do with hotels. But it is a great shot and you can see it in full on Velo News.
Source: China Daily

The concept of the youth hostel started in Germany in 1912 when Richard Schirrmann created the first permanent youth hostel in Altena. It was part of a general movement to get let the people of the city have a breath of country air. The young visitors would manage the hostel themselves as much as possible, such as with doing chores which helped keep the costs down.

Now there is Hostelling International (it once was the International YHA), a nonprofit organization composed of more than 90 associations representing about 4,000 hostels in over 80 countries.

Initially hostels were closed during the day; you had to bring your own sheets (normally a sheet type sleeping bag); you could not arrive by car; the dormitories were sexually segregated and there was neither hanky nor panky allowed on the premises although it was amazing what could be done with a little ingenuity.

Independent hostels do not belong to HI and do not have to conform to the accommodation standards set by HI although they are sometimes less expensive. However, most provide accommodation for outdoor pursuits such as hillwalking, climbing and bicycle touring. Which means they retain much of the original vision.

Older-style hostels have dormitory style accommodation; newer hostels usually include en-suite accommodation with single-occupancy rooms.

Now more than ten tourism experts from China and abroad have gathered at a seminar at the Loft Youth Hostel in the Overseas Chinese Town in Shenzen to promote the youth hostel movement. In truth, it seems a natural fit for China.

The Loft Youth Hostel, which opened in August, charges RMB50 ($6.25) per bed per night from members who pay an annual fee of RMB70. This also guarantees discounts at other youth hostels on the mainland. A budget hotel in Shenzhen normally charges more than RMB150 for a standard room so it halves the cost of accommodation when traveling.

Rawdon Lau, former secretary general of International Youth Hostel Federation (IYHF) based in the United Kingdom, said, ‘Youth hostels, often compared with budget hotels, are different in that they promote the ideas of cultural exchanges, environmental protection and social responsibility in addition to cheap and comfortable rooms.’

Lau, a volunteer working at the hostel, said the Loft hostel might be the only hotel in China that does not allow smoking. He said, ‘We collect used bottles, waste papers and used batteries. We purchased furniture from Ikea and put the chairs and cupboards together ourselves. We are doing it to show our guests that they should heed environmental protection while staying in the hostel.’
Source: Shenzhen Daily and research.