Hilton has reopened hotels in mainland China after closing them due to the coronavirus crisis, the hotel company said in a press release.

Hilton closed 150 of its hotels in China in February this year, according to a report by CNBC The company has a total of 255 properties in the Greater China region.

“Following a challenging past couple of months, we are thrilled to announce the resumption of operations in all Hilton hotels in the Chinese Mainland, marking a significant milestone for a market that has shown incredible resilience,” said Alan Watts, president, Asia Pacific, Hilton.

“We are seeing demand gradually return to China starting with domestic travel, and green shoots of recovery across the wider region as countries begin to ease restrictions,” he added.

China’s domestic aviation is reportedly recovering slowly. Over 30 per cent of capacity has returned in the Chinese domestic market in the last two month as lockdown restrictions in the country have eased, according to Cirium, a global travel and data analysis company.

China’s National Health Commission reported seven new confirmed coronavirus cases for May 17. Out of the new cases, the northeastern province of Jilin reported two confirmed cases. Shanghai reported one new case for May 17, while the other four new cases involved travellers arriving in the northern Chinese region of Inner Mongolia from overseas.

Hilton is among a number of hotel companies that have ramped up cleaning efforts to instil confidence in travellers in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The hotel company previously announced the launch of its new Hilton CleanStay program, in collaboration with RB, maker of Lysol and Dettol, and Mayo Clinic.

Hilton plans new cleaning “from check-in to check-out”

Hilton said this new cleanliness program is expected to launch in June 2020 and will create a focus on cleanliness that “will be visible to guests throughout their stay, providing them with assurance and peace of mind” when they stay at any of Hilton’s brands.

“The safety and well-being of our guests and team members remain our highest priority and reopening all our hotels in the Chinese Mainland is the first step in a measured global recovery process. We are doing everything we can to look after our Hilton family, and I am incredibly proud of how our teams have rallied together to support their communities and each other,” said Chris Nassetta, president and CEO, Hilton.

Hilton has a portfolio of 18 brands comprising of about 6,100 properties with approximately 971,000 rooms, in 119 countries and territories.

Hilton.com