Chinese travelers are the biggest spenders when it comes to international tourism, according to the?United Nations World Tourism Organization, and American hotels are pulling out all the stops to win them over, putting teakettles in the guest rooms, congee rice porridge on the menus and Mandarin speakers on staff.
But what will travelers from the United States find when they go to China? The amenities at the latest hotels may not be as American as apple pie, yet they offer comforts both novel and familiar, be it a ?15-minute? room-service menu or an Italian restaurant with a Michelin-star chef.
Tourists are also likely to find themselves checking in with Chinese vacationers. Starwood, for instance, has said that half the guests at hotels in China are Chinese and that it will soon have more resorts on Hainan Island than it does in Hawaii.
Indeed, at the same time that Chinese chains like?Jin Jiang International Hotels?are expanding their footprints, travelers can increasingly choose from international brands ? Starwood (Sheraton, Aloft, W Hotels), InterContinental Hotels Group, Marriott (including Ritz-Carlton) and Hilton ? that are increasing the number of their hotels in China. It?s impossible to list them all here, even just those planning to open this year. But here?s a sampling of a half-dozen properties, each in a different area, that international chains have recently opened or have on the horizon.
Aloft Yancheng
In northeastern Jiangsu province, this is the first internationally branded hotel in Yancheng. Tourists can explore the wetlands and salt marshes (Yancheng translates to ?salt city?) surrounding the business district by visiting nature reserves, including Jiulongkou (also known as the Nine Dragons Scenery Region).
As with all Aloft properties, this one is modern, tech-friendly and offers public spaces in which guests may work and socialize. There are spots to play billiards and table tennis and to catch the brand?s ?Live at Aloft Hotels? music events. Light meals and snacks are offered 24 hours a day at Re:fuel by Aloft, and the Nook restaurant has local and international dishes. There?s also the W XYZ bar, a fitness center and an indoor swimming pool. The approximately 300 rooms have high ceilings, spa-inspired showers with amenities by Bliss Spa and free wireless Internet access.
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