Hilton Worldwide has signed a license agreement with Plateno Hotels Group to launch and develop the Hampton by Hilton brand in China. The arrangement will see more than 400 properties signed, with the first hotel expected to open by the end of 2015.
Hampton has designed a three-star hotel prototype for top-tier cities in China, to meet the growing demand for mid-scale hotel market.
The hotels in China will include consistent interior design features, public areas will have the same look and function at all properties, and the hotels will feature welcome and gathering zones, bars, communal tables and on-property amenities, including fitness centres, gaming zones, and 24-hour snack bars and restaurants.
Hilton Worldwide executive vice president global brands Jim Holthouser commented: “We expect that this partnership will allow us to accelerate our efforts to gain broad geographic and chain scale distribution in China, enabling us to access a large, growing customer base for both in country and outbound business.
“Our five existing brands in China are growing at a rapid pace, and after extensively researching the market, we’ve seen an untapped opportunity to grow in the upper economy to mid-scale category. We’re now seizing the opportunity to introduce the Hampton by Hilton brand at scale with an unprecedented partnership with Plateno Hotels Group.”
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The brand’s portfolio in China will comprise of a mixture of new builds, conversions, and reuse properties. Plateno Hotels Group will develop and manage the hotels.
Hilton Worldwide global head, focused service and Hampton brand management Phil Cordell added: “Our key strategic objective for Hampton is to expand our global footprint in China by offering a very popular hotel product in the mid-scale market, which has not evolved as quickly as in the economy sector.
“Plateno has the largest hotel footprint and loyalty program in China, in addition to being experts in development and management. Our partnership will fuel the growth of Hampton by Hilton in China in addition to allowing us to establish strong relationships with new owners and guests.”
Plateno Hotels Group operates five brands with a portfolio of over 3000 hotels in 300 cities across China, and operates China’s largest hotel loyalty programme, reaching 80 million members. Guests of Hampton by Hilton hotels in China will also be able to enrol in and use Hilton’s loyalty programme, Hilton Honors.
Plateno Hotels Group CFO Eric Wu said: “We’re thrilled to partner with the global hospitality leader Hilton Worldwide to bring Hampton by Hilton to China. There is a substantial demand in China for a quality mid-scale lodging option, and we believe that Hampton is the right product to meet this need. Its enthusiastic and caring culture, together with its sought-after amenities such as free Wi-Fi, clean, comfortable beds and a 100% satisfaction guarantee, will be very appealing to Chinese travellers.”
Hilton Worldwide currently operates more than 17,000 rooms across five brands in China, with nearly 50,000 rooms in the pipeline in the country.
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