Louvre Hotels Group has signed a partnership agreement to develop its presence in China. The French hospitality group currently operates 1,080 hotels in 41 countries.
The agreement was signed with the Chengdu Mareka Hotel Property Management for the development of 100 Tulip Inn hotels across the Sichuan region over the next five years.
Tulip Inn is one of six different brands by the group, and offers three-star accommodations that focus on delivering convenience, accessibility and attractive quality-to-price ratio.
Chengdu Mareka Hotel Property Management currently operates 1,005 hotels in China, and runs a loyalty program network of more than three million members. Louvre Hotels Group will therefore benefit from the access to this large clientele.
The initial developments by the two partners will include the transformation of five Mareka properties in Chengdu, Chongqing and Xichang into Tulip Inn hotels, totalling 420 rooms, and the development of four new properties in Tibet and a 400-room Royal Tulip hotel in Chengdu.
Royal Tulip is the group’s luxury five-star brand. Properties that carry the name are all located in city centres and business districts, and offer premium services and amenities.
Another Royal Tulip property will be built in Suzhou, and will feature an "authentic French ambience." Through a partnership with Suzhou Wuzhong City Construction Investment & Development, the new property will be part of a "two canals one river environmental construction project" which will consist of French-influenced such as a brasserie and three museums, including one showcasing French perfumes .
China represents an important market in the Louvre Hotels Group’s international development strategy, due to the rapidly increasing demand over the past decade. The group’s focus on developing mainly three-star accommodations makes sense for a region that features a growing emergence of the middle-class customer base.
According to research conducted by McKinsey & Company, roughly two-thirds of urban Chinese households are considered middle-class today, up from a mere 4 per cent back in 2000. These are consumers who can afford to travel, study overseas, and are familiar with Western brands.
Similarly, the economic development of several provincial regions has also resulted in growing demand for business travel. As an established international brand, Louvre Hotels Group is in a good position to capitalise on this opportunity.
For more information, visit www.louvrehotels.com
Clement Huang
