FRHI Hotels and Resorts – owners of the Fairmont, Raffles and Swissotel brands – has announced the launch of a new upper midscale brand aimed at the Chinese market.
According to the group Neqta hotels will appeal to the “tech-savvy travellers who want seamless integration of work and life while away from home", and in particular “the millennial business traveller in the 22 to 40 age demographic”.
The first property under the new brand has opened in Shanghai’s Xuhui district, with a second hotel set to open in Nanjing in the near future.
FRHI says that Neqta hotels will be located “in some of the most in-demand destinations across China”, and will feature “uncluttered” guest rooms with large Bluetooth-enabled LED TVs, and free wifi.
The new brand will be a joint venture with China’s Jiangsu Golden Land Group, and FRHI said that there was a “a natural opportunity to develop Neqta Hotels within many of Golden Land’s predominantly mixed-use developments”.
Hotels within the brand will average 150 rooms in size, with guest rooms from 28-32 sqm. FRHI said that Neqta would be marketed separately to its Fairmont, Raffles and Swissotel brands.
Late last year French hotel group Accorhotels announced the acquisition of FRHI Holdings (see news December 9, 2015).
The announcement of the Neqta brand follows Hilton’s unveiling of its new Tru by Hilton midscale brand today – click here for more details.
Similar to the reimagining of Tru by Hilton’s lobby space as “The Hive”, FRHI says that Neqta hotels will feature “open and stylish lobbies that will serve as social hubs”, with multi-functional public spaces "incorporating innovative dining concepts that will see a breakfast and coffee shop by day transform into a vibrant cocktail bar and lounge in the evening”.
Subscribers to Business Traveller can read Jenny Southan's feature on the new breed of lifestyle hotel brands here, and for David Churchill's report on how hotel groups are finding it easier to announce new brands than actual deliver them, click here.
Mark Caswell