BEIJING - Soluxe Hospitality Group, a Beijing-based internationalhotel operator, is seeking to export its management expertise.
Its first such arrangement began on Aug 1 in Siem Reap, Cambodia,where it put the Angkor Palace Resort & Spa under its Grand Soluxebrand and assumed management of the hotel.
"We hope that through our partnership with the Soluxe HospitalityGroup, we can help this country attract more well-heeled Chinesetourists to visit our magnificent Angkor temples," said Ly Hong, aChinese-Cambodian and owner of the renamed Grand SoluxeAngkor Palace Resort & Spa.
Siem Reap is the gateway to the Angkor Wat complex, which features centuries of remains ofthe Khmer Empire.
Soluxe Hospitality Group has already established a presence in the emerging economies ofAfrica, South America and Europe. The group is now seeking to make inroads into countriessuch as Germany, Italy, France and Spain, according to Tim Gao, general manager of ChinaNational Petroleum Corp International Hotel Management Co Ltd, the parent of Soluxe.
"Every segment of the tourism and hospitality industry is aware of China's increasing presenceand role on the global stage," said Weng Aow, general manager of Grand Soluxe AngkorPalace Resort & Spa, who was named as the hotel's new manager.
Soluxe Hospitality Group invests in or owns more than 60 hotels in Asia under various brands:Grand Soluxe, Soluxe Courtyard and Soluxe Inn. Now, it is seeking to market its managementexpertise separately.
Soluxe wants to take advantage of the changing aspirations of Chinese outbound tourists.Such travelers no longer go just to see a few famous sites but increasingly want to enjoy exoticand luxurious destinations.
In the case of Cambodia, visa applications have been simplified and many airports, includingthose in Beijing, Shanghai, Kunming and Chengdu, provide direct charter flights to and fromSiem Reap.
All these factors are drawing more Chinese visitors to the Southeast Asian country.
In the first half, 1.13 million Chinese tourists visited Cambodia, a year-on-year increase of 35percent, according to Jin Yuan, economic and commercial counselor of the Chinese embassy inCambodia.
But Chinese tourists are not Soluxe's sole target market. Gao said that as the group seeks to"export" its hotel management concepts, it is also has its eye on Western travelers and citiessuch as Frankfurt, Paris and London.
China Daily
updated: 2011-08-11 07:47
