(www.travelweeklyeast.com 2004-07-26)
SRS-WORLDHOTELS plans to have 50 hotels in China soon, spreading its wings into the secondary cities.
¡°We have 17 hotels in China now and have an ambitious plan to have 50 hotels within three years,¡± chief executive officer Michael Ball (pictured) said at the SRS-WORLDHOTELS Asia/Pacific conference in
Beijing last month.
The opportunities in the secondary cities ¨C like Hangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xiamen,
Wuxi ¨C are huge, he said.
¡°We are also focusing on the business outbound from China which is why we opened an office in
Shanghai in February this year. Growth is now in single digits but it is an area where we are spending more resources,¡± said Ball.
He said that since the setbacks of recent years, growth has returned.
¡°There was a time when any new hotel would go to branded chains. Increasingly technology has allowed independent hotels to expand and they saying that they want to stay independent.
¡°Owners are also thinking whether he should give it to the branded chain and absolve responsibility or run it himself,¡± he said.
¡°We are the antidote to branded hotels.¡±
Ball also disclosed that SRS-WORLDHOTELS is looking at a more consumer-friendly brand.
SRS-WORLDHOTELS will be rebranding and will concentrate on the WORLDHOTELS aspect of its name.
Guaranteed consumer rates will also be promoted through this site.
¡°We had undergone a legal restructuring some time ago and separated from the founding company but somehow the name still stayed,¡± he said.
¡°A branding company is working on it now but the rebranding will be an evolution, not a revolution.
¡°If you want to build consumer awareness, people need a name to associate with. We¡¯re not just a reservations company, but also in sales and marketing,¡± he said.
¡°We tended in the past to be a B2B company. As we progress we want to be more consumer focused.¡±
