Hotel chain plans expansion in China ( 2003-08-25 10:18) (eastday.com.cn)
US-based Howard Johnson, a hotel chain owned by Cendant Group, said it plans
to open 33 hotels in China by 2006 as the country is the top priority in the
chain's expansion.
"China has the top priority in our expansion because of its prosperous
economy," said Daniel Pauwaert, vice president of Howard Johnson International
(China). "We are confident about China in the long term and we are pleased to be
part of that growth."
The firm opened its flagship Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel last month in
Shanghai.
"The dismal situation brought by the SARS outbreak has ended and hotel
occupancy has picked up very positively," said Pauwaert, who is also the general
manager of the new hotel.
Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel is the first hotel that Howard Johnson
International (China) has opened this year. It will open one new hotel each in
Wuhan, Guiyang, Hangzhou, Xi'an and Nanjing.
Aiming to be the best business hotel chain in China, Howard Johnson
International (China) says it will focus on developing four- and five-star
business hotels.
"We will be present in all capital cities (of the provinces) in China in a
few years," Pauwaert said.
The 50-year-old Howard Johnson International now operates nearly 650 hotels
in 15 countries.
"Most large foreign hotel managers are extending their footprint in China,
but mainly at the high-end market," said Zhao Xueqin, a Haitong Securities
analyst. "The fast-growing economy in China, and particularly in Shanghai,
brings them more business opportunities."
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc, which owns the Westin, Sheraton
and St Regis, plans to triple its hotels in China to about 45 in the next three
years.