Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) will launch a new upscale
hotel brand in China by the middle of the year and is planning to
eventually expand the brand across Asia-Pacific, according to a report
in MarketWatch.
In an interview with Dow Jones Newswires, Jan Smits, IHG’s
chief executive of Asia, Middle East & Africa operations, explained
that the move was to enable the group to become top-of-mind among
increasingly wealthy Chinese travellers.
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Jan Smits, IHG’s
chief executiv |
Subsequent plans include exporting the brand to other Asia-Pacific
markets to cater to outbound Chinese travellers, with Hong Kong and
Singapore seen as logical choices for expansion.
Event though details about the new brand have yet to be revealed, IHG
has decided to bring forward its launch date—which was originally
scheduled for later this year.
“There's obviously a lot of interest in a domestically-grown brand
that has got the benefit of a large international system behind it.
Owners have shown significant interest," Smits was quoted as saying.
According to MarketWatch, 12 contracts for the new brand have already been inked across China, including in Beijing and Shanghai. |
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