Hilton expanding vigorously in China

Since the launch of its first hotel in China, in Shanghai, in 1988, Hilton hotel group has been expanding rather slowly in the nation. Over the past 25 years, it has opened only 31 hotels in 17 cities in China, including Hong Kong and Macao.

However, since last year, Hilton's business strategy in China has been undergoing major adjustments. Paul Brown, president of Brands and Commercial Services for Hilton Worldwide, told China Economic Weekly that "We believe that China will become Hilton's second largest market worldwide, trailing the US. By 2015, Hilton plans to open 100 new hotels in China, including Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts and Conrad Hotels & Resorts, two topnotch hotel brands under the Hilton group."

Olivier Chavy, chief of the Lifestyle & Luxury Brands of Hilton Worldwide, pointed out that "We plan to open Waldorf hotels not only in first-tier cities, such as Shanghai, but also second-tier cities in China. With the enhancement of their vision, wealth Chinese have begun to embrace high-end hotels."

In 2010, the Woldorf hotel in Shanghai Bund opened, joining the ranks of 23 Woldorf hotels worldwide and serving as the foothold for the brand to pry open the Chinese market.

Stuart Foster, vice president of luxury brands and marketing, Hilton Worldwide, revealed that "We have decided to open a Woldorf hotel in Chengdu, the first hotel of the brand in central and western China."

Along with the rapid progress of the hotel industry in recent years, five-star hotels already cannot meet the demand of Chinese people in pursuit of rich and famous lifestyles. Some municipal governments hope to induce the development of businesses for rich persons, such as yachts, business planes, and golf, via enhancement of the brands and quality of hotels. In practice, municipal governments often take part in the construction of high-end hotels, while soliciting support from international hotel brands in design and management.

Olivier Chavy noted that "We feel the enthusiasm of municipal governments for luxury hotels. Under the warm invitation of the municipal government, we will open two Woldorf hotels in Hainan in five years."
　　
Another luxury brand Conrad has only 20 hotels worldwide, four of which are located in China, including Dalian, Macao, Hong Kong, and Sanya. Hilton plans to open another 15 Conrad hotels worldwide in the future, including that in Beijing (2012), Suzhou (2014), Guangzhou (2014), Xiamen (2015), and Qingdao (2016).