Berlin – 21 December 2016
Carlson and therewith the majority of Rezidor has been overtaken by the HNA Group. Also the purchase of 25 per cent of Hilton worldwide has been successfully processed. And there is more to be expected from China.
Jin Jiang has taken over Louvre Hotels and tries to further increase the market shares of the European market leader Accor (currently 15.6%). Plateno continues to push the expansion of the 7 Days Premium Hotels. They are currently developing two new hotels at Munich airport and Leipzig airport. Hotel industry insiders expect other hotel chains of the Middle Kingdom to enter the market, like Green Tee for example.
More and more Chinese people come to Germany – how hotels prepare for this increasingly important target group
Ni hao! The number of Chinese overnight stays in Germany is rising. The ‘wanderlust’ of young Chinese people is growing at a recent rate of 10 per cent to a total number of 107 million international travels. Germany is still in strong demand. It has been ranked no. 8 on the list of the Chinese’s top travel destinations. City breaks to Berlin and natural attractions like the Black Forrest region are very popular tourist destinations, but also cities like Munich, Dresden or Mainz. Shopping is very important for Chinese tourists.
German hotel operators are devoting increased attention to this high-spending target group. The Tryp hotel at the opera roundabout in Frankfurt, for example, has ben converted into a concept hotel for Chinese people: The hotel manager of the Qube Frankfurt recruited Meliá employees with sufficient Mandarin language skills. Information folders, menus, city maps and event arrangements were printed in Chinese. They further provide Chinese adaptors and accept common Chinese credit cards, like JCB and CUP. Moreover, they provide complimentary slippers in the hotel rooms, as well as a Chinese television programme and a Mandarin Internet access menu. Of course, the gastronomic offer of the hotel has been expanded to include a big choice of Chinese specialities – from breakfast and room-service to the minibar with instant noodle soups and familiar à la carte dishes at the restaurant, which can be eaten with chopsticks, of course.
Chinese travellers mainly value high-speed Internet access:
- Free wlan – 75%
- Smoking rooms – 20%
- Chinese tea – 17%
- Water boiler in the room – 16%
- Mandarin city guide – 13%
German hotel operators are not sufficiently prepared for Chinese travellers.
Free wlan is still number one on the list of particularly important features for Chinese travellers in hotels. This is already provided by 42 per cent of the interviewed German hotel operators. Especially important for travellers from China is also the water boiler in the room. 23 per cent offer them already, while 11 per cent of the hotels are planning on adding them to their offering. Translated city guides, however, are hardly or not available in most hotels. Only fewer than five per cent of the interviewed hotel operators provide translated city guides and only six per cent are planning to do so.