Kempinski Hotel Xi’an is set to open this May. It calls itself a ‘business hotel’ so it will have extensive MICE facilities including a 1,600 square meter ballroom. It is aiming to cater for the 450 plus trade fairs that are held in Xi’an every year and it is the offical venue for the bi-annual Euro-Asia Economic Forum.

It will have 355 guestrooms and for those who can’t resist a tune, a 3,000 square meter Kareoke entertainment area. The hotel is located right where the Chan and Ba Rivers cross each other in the Chanba Ecological District, northeast of Xi’an city.

The hotel just had a site inspection by four officials shown in the photo. From the left: hotel GM Yoland Perras, Wang Jun who is CEO of Chanba District Development, Bai Huqun from the Illness Controls Bureau, government official Wang Chengwen and Lily Cao, GM of Xi’an Neo China Chanba Euro Asia Hotel Development Co.
Source: Kempinski Hotel Xi’an

The capital of Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province is creating an amorous environment with country’s first theme park of love. With an investment of RMB500 million ($657,890), the Qujiang Pond Ruins Park, which features the famous Humble Cave Ruins, is expected to open on April 8, 2008.

Located in Wudianpo Village in Qujiang New District in Xi’an, the Humble Cave Ruins is well-known city landmark because it’s where a popular Shaanxi Opera tells the love story between Xue Pinggui and Wang Baochuan.

The story goes that a prime minister of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) had three daughters. The youngest named Wang fell in love with and married a poor man called Xue, despite her family’s strong opposition.

After their marriage, the couple lived in a humble cave near Qujiang Pond. Soon afterwards, the government forced Xue to join the army on its western expedition and he was away for 18 years. Wang’s mother tried many times in vain to persuade her daughter to marry somebody else. Finally, the couple was reunited after Xue returned from the expedition.

As a result, the humble cave has become a symbol of faithful love. And Qujiang New District has rebuilt a cave at the site of the legendary one with a statue of Wang.

In addition to its historical references, Qujiang Pond Ruins Park will feature the restored 45 hectares of water in the Qujiang Pond.

The park is part of a 167-hectare tourist attraction which includes the 67-hectare Tang City Wall Ruins Park and 6.4-hectare Zhenguan Cultural Plaza.

With an investment of nearly RMB1 billion ($132 million), the Zhenguan Cultural Plaza will include the Xi’an Concert Hall, Xian Theater, Qujiang Cinema Town, Shaanxi Artists Gallery, Shaanxi Folk Art Hall, and Shaanxi Literary Hall.
Source: Jongo News

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 Hyatt Regency Xi’an recently appointed Adam Simkins as its new general manager (pictured right). Simkins joined the Hyatt International group in 1993 and has worked in several of its properties across the Asia Pacific region.

The 404-room hotel was built in 1990 and is located in Xi’an’s central shopping district. It has extensive meeting facilities - a large ballroom and five function rooms and a Club Zen Fitness Centre and Spa.
Source: PR Hyatt Regency Xi’an

Ascott has a simple target: to achieve 10,000 serviced residence units in China by 2010. To this end it has now acquired two properties in Shanghai and Xi’an.

Ascott will invest up to a total of $44.6 million in the two developments which will be operated under the Ascott Citadines brand. This will bring the Ascott China portfolio to about 4,000 serviced units.

One of the investments is in Shanghai: Ying Biao Garden Apartment, located in the city’s Pudong New District. It has one block of eight-storey serviced residences and seven blocks of four-storey semi-detached houses. The property will be branded as Citadines Shanghai Biyun and is targeted to re-open in the first half of 2008 with 182 units after refurbishment.

In Xi’an, Ascott has acquired an effective 75% stake in a building located at Beilin District. The building will be developed into a 162-unit Citadines Xi’an Central. The property is targeted to be opened in the second half of 2007.

Mr Cameron Ong, Ascott’s Managing Director and CEO said: ‘Despite keen competition in China’s hospitality market, Ascott remains the largest leading international serviced residence company in China.’

Ascott’s current portfolio in China stands at 20 properties in Beijing, Dalian, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Suzhou, Tianjin, Xi’an and Hong Kong.
Source: Ascott

The newly announced Westin Xian will be an adjacent part of a planned Great Tang All Day Mall in Xian. This is expected to become one of the world’s longest cultural and commercial pedestrian malls in the world, including a scenic pedestrian street, tourism amenities, sightseeing features and trade and cultural facilities. Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Xian Yungao International Hotel Company have signed an agreement for Starwood to manage a 296-room Westin within that mall and it is expected to open in 2010.

The Westin Xian will be adjacent to and within walking distance from the mall. The site is also within 40 minutes drive from Xian Xianyang International Airport, 60 minutes from the Terracotta Warrior site, and maintains easy access to downtown area and Xian’s industrial development zone. In addition to its 296 guest rooms, The Westin Xian will feature approximately 11,000 square feet of meeting space, 5 restaurants, a health club and Westin’s Heavenly Spa.

The Westin Xian will be the seventh Westin hotel in mainland China, joining The Westin Shanghai, The Westin Beijing – Financial Street, The Westin Beijing at Chaoyang, The Westin Guangzhou, The Westin Nanjing and The Westin Zhejiang Resort, Nine Dragon Hill.

The Westins in Guangzhou, Zhejiang, Beijing Chaoyang and Nanjing should open in 2007, 2008 and 2009 respectively. The Westin Xian will also be the second Starwood hotel in Xian, in addition to Sheraton Xian Hotel.
Source: Asia Travel Tips

A hotel offering special services only to its female guests has opened in Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi province, and a major tourism destination in China.

The hotel has female guards, special floors and rooms for female guests only and special food catering to women’s tastes and health needs. Yue Meili, the hotel’s general manager, said they want to provide more special services for women, showing care for and respect to their female guests.

This is, of course, not the first hotel (the Hong Kong Hilton may have had the lead in 1972) to have done this and it is a very sound market idea. According to an October 26, 2006 New York Times article Niki Leodakis, the COO of Kimpton Hotels, said, ‘Women are making 70 percent of travel decisions, for the family, for their own getaways or for people at work.’ Quite so.

Research on the subject released in the 2006 National Travel Monitor by Peter Yesawich, President and CEO of Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell, Inc showed statistically significant differences between men and women’s preferences:

Security – Women value extra measures that ensure their safety and security.
Cleanliness – Women care more than men about cleanliness.
Transportation – Women want complimentary shuttle service to and from the airport, and to areas other than the airport.
Simplification – Women care more about express check-in and checkout, and are more interested than men in an interactive system through the guest room television set that provides information about local events.
Business Services – Women want the same business services that men want, but more women want service enabling them to send and receive faxes from their laptops.
Creature Comforts – Women want full-length mirrors, make up mirrors and hair dryers; they want spa services and more diversity of restaurants on the premises.
Ambience – Women value the ambience of small boutique hotels, as well as distinctive hotel décor.

It turns out, in many cases, that what women want is what we all want – to be asked our preferences and then be provided with them. Our picture is not of male hotel guests marching in protest. It is of the amazing statues in Xi’an.
Source: China Daily