Regional PRofile : China
taLk tech to me
LocaL or internationaL , technoLogy needs to be top-of-mind in china . here are some experts ’ musts :
01
Keep it local . “ We ’ ve partnered with Chinese distribution systems , like the local version of TripAdvisor , and are using them as the primary distribution network ,” says Bob Loewen , executive vice president and chief operating officer , Wyndham Hotel Group . “ Our U . S . -based channels cater pretty much exclusively to international travelers going into China .”
02
Keep it ( really ) simple . Chinese travelers are used to being able to book a room in three to four clicks . “ China basically went straight from offline to mobile , while the rest of world worked its way through the modem and Wi-Fi era of connectivity , so ease of use is a must ,” says Howard Ho , director of development for Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts ’ Hotel Jen brand .
03
Keep it evolving . “ The mobile Internet users hit a critical scale in 2014 , which means there are numerous changes in people ’ s daily life that cover travel and accommodation . The traditional marketing and promotion ways are gone ,” says Julie Dai , director , Horwath HTL . carLson rezidor thinks ‘ gLocaL ’
“ Glocal ” is a lot more than just a design term . Global giants who want to stay on top in the Chinese market in 2015 need to learn to think like the Chinese market — a Chinese market that Andreas Flaig , Carlson Rezidor ’ s executive vice president of development for Asia Pacific , sees as increasingly similar to the global playing field .
“ Younger Chinese travelers have a very Millennial mindset about what they want from a hotel stay , and it ’ s pretty similar to the rest of the world in some ways ,” Flaig says . “ With boutique brands like Radisson Red , the offer in China can be pretty much the same as the one in the rest of the world — a few tweaks to the F & B venues or the service picture are enough to localize it .”
That ’ s forcing companies like Carlson to take a more clinical — and longer-term — view of the market . With plans to triple its current 14-property Chinese portfolio by
2019 , looking beyond the boldfaced names for opportunities is a must for Carlson . However , Flaig says it ’ s also about looking to the next hot spots . “ We need to start looking now at tier-three cities ,
Carlson will bring a localized version of its Radisson
Red brand to China .
especially for our mid-market brand , Park Inn by Radisson ,” he says . “ We want to also grow in tier-two cites like Dalian , Shenzhen , Guangzhou , Xiamen , Nanjing , Sanya and Guilin for Radisson Red .”
34 HOTELS May 2015 www . hotelsmag . com