Catered comforts
Familiar hotel brands expand into China
Chinese travellers are the biggest spenders when it comes to international tourism, according to the UN World Tourism Organization, and American hotels are pulling out all the stops to win them over, putting teakettles in the guest rooms, congee rice porridge on the menus and Mandarin speakers on staff.
But what will travellers from the United States find when they go to China? The amenities at the latest hotels may not be as American as apple pie, yet they offer comforts both novel and familiar, be it a “15-minute” room-service menu or an Italian restaurant with a Michelin-star chef.
At the same time that Chinese chains such as Jin Jiang International Hotels are expanding their footprints, travellers can increasingly choose from international brands — Starwood (Sheraton, Aloft, W Hotels), Inter- Continental Hotels Group, Marriott (including Ritz-Carlton) and Hilton — that are increasing their number of hotels in China. Here’s a sampling of a half-dozen properties, each in a different area, that international chains have recently opened or have on the horizon.
Aloft Yancheng In northeastern Jiangsu province, this is the first internationally branded hotel in Yancheng. Tourists can explore the wetlands and salt marshes surrounding the business district by visiting nature reserves, including Jiulongkou. As with all Aloft properties, this one is modern, tech-friendly and offers public spaces in which guests may work and socialize. There are spots to play billiards and table tennis and to catch the brand’s “Live at Aloft Hotels” music events. The approximately 300 rooms have high ceilings, spa-inspired showers with amenities by Bliss Spa and free wireless Internet access.
Rooms in March from $49 at Starwoodhotels.com/alofthotels.
Conrad Beijing
This 289-room hotel in China’s capital is near Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, and within walking distance of shopping and eating at Sanlitun Village, Solana and Shin Kong Place. When you’re not out exploring the city, you can take in its skyline from your room: There are floor-to-ceiling windows with views of Tuanjie Lake Park and the silver China Central Television headquarters. Rooms in March from $184 at Conradhotels3.hilton.com/en/index.html.
Four Seasons Hotel Shenzhen
Most of the 266 rooms in this luxury hotel, which opened in the fall in the Pearl River Delta, are 540 square feet or more and include mini iPads, Nespresso machines and handy international electrical outlets. Shenzhen, home to high-tech companies and a bustling port, is one of China’s Special Economic Zones, yet tourists will find a touch of Las Vegas thanks to the Window of the World theme park that features models of the Egyptian pyramids and the Eiffel Tower. For those with little time to spare, the hotel offers a “15-minute” room-service menu. Rooms in March from $237 at Fourseasons.com/Shenzhen.
Mandarin Oriental, Taipei
This luxury hotel with 303 rooms and suites on the tree-dappled Dunhua North Rd. will open later this year with food for a variety of palates: Coco, a contemporary French brasserie; Ya Ge, a fine-dining Cantonese restaurant; Bencotto, an Italian restaurant with an open kitchen presided over by a Michelin-starred Italian chef; the Mandarin Cake Shop, to satisfy sweet tooths; M.O. Bar, for cocktails and Champagne; and the Jade Lounge, for afternoon tea. Beginning at 540 square feet or so, the rooms are spacious. Information: Mandarinoriental.com/Taipei.
Sofitel Shanghai Jing’an Huamin
In Shanghai’s historic Jingan district, this 503-room hotel in a 68-storey tower will pro- vide views over the city when it opens later this year. Given that Sofitel is a French brand, expect touches of France amid the Chinese influences, be it the decor of the bar atop the hotel or the bathroom amenities by L’Occitane and Hermès.
Information: Sofitel.com.
W Guangzhou Hotel and Residences
W Hotels & Resorts is more than doubling its presence in Asia, opening 11 properties there by 2018, including in Shanghai, Changsha and Suzhou. In the fall, the W Beijing-Chang’an is to open in the capital. The W Guangzhou Hotel & Residences, the brand’s first hotel in China, opened in the spring in Pearl River New Town, a luxury shopping district. Guests who want to explore the banks of the river by jogging can borrow iPod Shuffles. Rooms in March from $222 a night at Starwoodhotels. com/whotels.