SHANGHAI—InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) announced the signing of 22 management contracts for Hualuxe Hotels and Resorts in just 21 months since the brand was launched in March 2012. To date, IHG has added nearly 7,000 rooms to the Hualuxe pipeline across Greater China, including destinations such as Beijing and Shanghai, as well as key emerging markets of Chengdu, Kunming, and the most recently signed deal in Wuhan.
Hualuxe is built on three decades of IHG’s accumulated market insights, experience, and leadership in the China market. Aspects of Chinese culture and heritage are integrated into every detail of the brand’s service and design, with a particular focus on traditional Chinese elements of etiquette, rejuvenation in nature, status recognition, and spaces enabling social interactions.
Kenneth Macpherson, chief executive, IHG Greater China, said: “With nearly thirty years of experience in China, IHG has developed a profound understanding and keen insights into China’s market and consumers, which led us to develop the Hualuxe Hotels and Resorts brand. The signing of 22 projects across some 20 cities within just 21 months since the brand was launched is a remarkable achievement that not only speaks to the strength of our brands but also to the trust and confidence our owners have in IHG’s ability to deliver the best returns.”
The most recent signing is for the 350-room Hualuxe Wuhan Wuchang, which is expected to open in late 2016. Originally a state-run guesthouse in the 1950’s, the hotel is located in the downtown Wuchang district, Wuhan’s political, cultural and educational center, as well as near the scenic East Lake and the High-Tech Development Zone, “Optics Valley.” With a variety of meeting facilities, large ballroom, signature Chinese restaurant and tea houses, the hotel is ideally positioned to meet the high volume of corporate and leisure demand in one of China’s largest, booming markets.
IHG has ambitious goals for developing Hualuxe Hotels and Resorts, both in Greater China and internationally. With the first hotel under the brand set to open in late 2014 in Greater China, IHG aims to bring Hualuxe to 100 cities in Greater China in the next 15 to 20 years. As outbound Chinese travel continues to grow and gain momentum, IHG also plans to introduce the brand in key international destinations to meet their specific needs when traveling abroad.
