The Shangri-La hotel in Pudong, Shanghai. (Courtesy Photo) Although luxury hotels in China are still feeling the effects of the  government’s anti-corruption campaign , Chinese consumers’ interest in luxury hotels is at an all-time high based on internet search results. The new “World Luxury Index Hotels” report for 2014 by  Digital Luxury Group  in partnership with Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) finds that internet searches for luxury hoteliers surged 39 percent in China this year, making it the fastest-growing region in the world. Luxury hotel searches originating from China made up 9 percent of the global total, placing China third behind the United States and the UK. “Such a significant increase in interest for luxury hotels from China can be attributed to a few things,” says Digital Luxury Group Founder and CEO David Sadigh. “Firstly, numerous Western hotel brands are opening in second-, third-, and fourth-tier cities, building brand awareness in parts o...

Luxury hotels take collaborations with fashion designers to another level At Langham Place Mong Kok, big spenders have access to Thomas Pink's vintage Morgan, as part of the Elevated Experiences service. High fashion and luxury hotels have always been connected. But it was, of course, Versace who took this to the next level, opening his first branded hotel in 2000. He paved the way for others, such as Armani, Moschino, Ferragamo and Missoni. Last September, Versace's hotel chain announced plans for a new grand hotel in Macau, designed by Donatella Versace and billed to open in 2017. Sending an online purchase to a luxury hotel ... the concept was irresistible  DEAN WINTER, SWIRE HOTELS   The designer hotel trend has evolved in recent years. Big names such as Diane Von Furstenberg, Karl Lagerfeld, Barney Cheng, BAPE and Vivienne Tam - who worked with Hong Kong's Hotel Icon - started to design exclusive suites, rooms or uniforms for h...

Exclusivity and engagement with online forums are far from contradictory, with innovative ways to enhance status As a business professor teaching in France and Singapore, I have the privilege of interacting with executives spanning many industries - from food and restaurants to technology, pharmaceuticals, health, transport and luxury. Invariably, given my interest in social media, the discussion turns to how managers integrate social media in their business strategies. Consistently, with most managers of luxury and premium brands, I get the answer that social media is not a communication tool that luxury brands should use. Variants of this answer include that social media is "dangerous", or that "social media and luxury are incompatible". In short, luxury managers often see social media as a threat, or at best as something not very useful. Luxury brands that choose not to embrace social media make a serious mistake At first, this reaction seems appropria...

In order to gear up its spread in Thailand,  Hyatt Hotels Corporation  ( H   -  Snapshot Report ) announced the debut of a Hyatt Place branded hotel in Bangkok in collaboration with a local real estate firm Pioneer Property Company Limited (PPC). The new property named Hyatt Place Bangkok, Sukhumvit is slated to open for business in 2017. Lately, Hyatt Hotels is strategizing to beef up its portfolio in Thailand through introduction of its top class brands in the country. On previous occasion, Hyatt Hotels declared the debut of two other brands in the Thai city with the Park Hyatt Bangkok and Hyatt Regency Bangkok, Sukhumvit. The properties will come up in 2014 and 2017, respectively. Hyatt Place, the upscale select service brand of Hyatt Hotel, offers casual hospitality in a high-tech and modern environment. The brand appeals to both multi-tasking business travelers and leisure travelers. Hyatt Place has enjoyed huge success in the U.S. and expects to cater t...

There are currently 112 hotels and resorts spread across the Asia Pacific with another 70 to come over the next three years. IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) , the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms, announced the signing of Holiday Inn Incheon Songdo, in partnership with OK Center Development Co. Ltd, jointly held by Incheon Development & Tourism Corporation (City of Incheon affiliate) along with TWG Group USA LLC. Scheduled to open in mid-2014, the hotel will mark the entrance of the Holiday Inn brand into Incheon Songdo – South Korea’s first free economic zone – and its third Holiday Inn property in South Korea following Holiday Inn Seongbuk and Holiday Inn Gwangju. The 202-room property is nestled within Songdo Central Park, a green oasis in the midst of the country’s first international hub city. It is conveniently situated above the Central Park subway station and other attractions within the vicinity include Muui Island, Ulwang-ri, as well as famous ...

Sofitel Luxury Hotels today announced the latest addition to its network in Southeast Asia with the signing of a new property in Bali, Indonesia. Scheduled to open in September 2013, Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua Beach Resort will introduce its brand blueprint that combines French luxury with the essence of local tradition to one of the world’s most sought-after holiday destinations. A lavish beachfront retreat in BTDC Nusa Dua, one of the island’s most affluent addresses, Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua Beach Resort will be located 40 kilometres from Denpasar, the provincial capital of Bali, and is poised to set international standards in resort hospitality with the brand’s hallmarks of service and quality excellence. “Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua Beach Resort will be an important addition to the island’s growing portfolio of luxury hotels providing guests with perfect service known as  cousu main –  French for tailor-made service designed to provide all travellers with a unique experience...

Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express Hotels is planning to open 38 new hotels across West Asia and India in the next five years, a senior company official said. Seven new Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express Hotels are planned in the Middle East alone, adding to the 25 hotels already open in the region, Pascal Gauvin, Chief Operating Officer, India, Middle East and Africa for IHG, said. In India, the brand will grow by over 400 per cent as 31 new Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels open across the country, including the country’s first Holiday Inn Express due to launch later this month, he said. “Holiday Inn has had a great 35 years in the region and continues to perform and grow today. It continues to demonstrate its strength as a mid-scale brand by providing guests in our markets with great experiences at good value,” he said. “We look forward to the launch of our first Holiday Inn Express in Ahmedabad later this month as we continue to grow the brand family, and we’...

Marriott International has announced it expects to more than double the size of its portfolio in the Asia-Pacific region in the next few years. With 132 hotels open in Asia today and a pipeline of signed and approved deals now totaling an additional 143 properties, the company expects to grow to at least 265 hotels by 2016, with more than 80,000 rooms in 16 countries.  Commenting on the announcement, Simon Cooper, Marriott International’s president and managing director in Asia, said: “We are delighted with our growth in the region and believe it is a great testament to the popularity of our brands and the quality of our hotels in Asia that we expect to double in size by 2016. “We operate a strategically targeted brand portfolio and our products clearly resonate with our guests, our hotel owners and the communities in which we operate. “We have seen great growth across our portfolio and expect to be launching new brands in the region soon, with the introduction of Fairf...