Hyatt Hotels’ China expansion has received a boost with the debut of its Hyatt Place and Hyatt House brands in Shanghai – the first Asian destination to receive these new service propositions – and signing of eight additional full service hotels across the country.
A 210-room Hyatt Place Shanghai Jiading, alongside the 77-room Hyatt House Shanghai Jiading, is scheduled to open in 2014 as part of a mixed-use development, while the 150-room Hyatt Place Shanghai Xinjiangwan is due in 2015.
Steve Haggerty, Hyatt Hotels’ global head, real estate and development, told Business Traveller he believed Chinese travellers were ready for a product “that is more focused around a quality room and quality F&B delivered in a consistent manner”.
Haggerty said: “We recognise there is a particular segment that perceives a lot of value in those offerings, and are willing to pay a price below a full service hotel and above a budget hotel. This concept is also attractive to developers, who are keen for a high yielding investment model in markets where land prices are costly.” When asked whether Shanghai, which boasts a heavy proliferation of international brands, needed more Hyatt properties, he claimed there was a gap in the mid-range tier that needed to be filled "by a product with a value proposition providing a high-quality stay associated with our brand".
Hyatt Place, which was launched last year, will feature guestrooms measuring around 32 sqm and amenities following Hyatt standards, such as the linens and showers, but no spa, ballroom or Chinese restaurant. "The Hyatt's service DNA will be evident throughout," said Nong Xia, the company's senior vice-president of real estate and development in China.
Hyatt House, introduced earlier this year, caters to a clientele on extended visits desiring space (see news). The hotel's entire portfolio of Hyatt Summerfield Suites and 16 Hotel Sierra properties were rebranded as Hyatt House. Said Nong Xia: "The design is based on how people live at home and is reflected in the suites and public spaces. The residential feeling is very strong in areas such as the Great Lounge, H Bar and Social Sectional."
As for the full-service Hyatt projects, these include three Grand Hyatt hotels in Lijiang (Yunnan Province), Heifei (Anhui Province) and Shenzhou Peninsula of Hainan Island, as well as four Hyatt Regency properties in different areas of Shanghai - Chongming, Hongqiao, Jiading and Wujiaochang - and one in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province.
Hyatt is also poised to enter Mongolia with the Hyatt Regency Ullanbaatar, slated for 2014, and Hyatt Regency Ulaanbatar Turtle Rock in the Terelj National Park, to debut in 2015.
The group's Andaz brand will debut in Asia, soft opening on October 18 the 24-storey, 307-room Andaz Shanghai. Located in the Xintiandi entertainment precinct of the city, the hotel is taking reservations for arrivals from October 19 and features rooms starting from 41sqm, signature restaurant Hai Pai (a mixture of French bistro and Shanghainese brasserie), 11 meeting and event spaces including the Glass Pavillion surrounded by water, and a 2,200 sqm spa with swimming pool and fitness centre. The hotel will join existing Andaz properties in London, San Diego, Los Angeles and New York.
For more details, visit www.hyatt.com
Margie T Logarta
