The 7th China International Import Expo (CIIE) was held in Shanghai from November 5th to 10th, with 152 countries, regions, and international organizations participating in national and corporate exhibitions. Numerous excellent domestic and foreign enterprises are exchanging and cooperating on this international stage.
As a leading global hotel group, Huazhu Group made its debut at the CIIE this year. Not only does it showcase the innovative model of China's hotel industry to the world, but it also conveys Huazhu's confidence in the Chinese market and implements the development strategy of rooting in China and going global.
Jin Hui, CEO of Huazhu Group, said, "A world-class hotel group must achieve world-class standards in its brand and management. Nowadays, China's hotel industry has some core competitiveness and advantages, such as leading in integration efficiency and technology application. Huazhu is confident that in the process of adhering to high-quality development, it will take China's hotel industry to world-class heights
It is reported that at this CIIE, Huazhu has reached strategic cooperation agreements with Zigong Cultural and Tourism Development Group Co., Ltd., Guangxi Tourism Development Group, Xiamen Jianfa Co., Ltd., Red Star Macalline Home Furnishing Group Co., Ltd., Shanghai Urban Construction Municipal Engineering (Group) Co., Ltd., Ping An International Financial Leasing Co., Ltd. and other enterprises, and will carry out in-depth cooperation in the cultural and tourism industry, supply chain, hotel development and operation, etc.
Consolidate product strength, Huazhu leads innovation in Chinese hotels
On the day of the exhibition, Huazhu's booth was crowded with people and the atmosphere was lively. The efficient supply chain management model, continuously upgraded product and service innovation, and business model that combines local insights and global perspectives displayed in the exhibition area have shocked many domestic and foreign visitors who came to visit and gave thumbs up to "China Hotel".
As a hotel group with over 30 chain hotel and apartment brands, Huazhu has successfully created a series of well-known and popular chain hotel brands such as Hanting, Quanji, and Orange after 19 years of development.
At the exhibition booth, visitors can learn about the brand new full season version of 'Xiaoshanqing'. Throughout the season, Xiaoshan Qing accurately interprets how hotels achieve comprehensive evolution in design, service, and technology application under the aesthetic needs of Eastern culture. The hazy and blank visual experience in the lobby, the strong Zen tea atmosphere in the tea space, and the minimalist yet intelligent design in the guest rooms allow every traveler to return to an initial and comfortable state as they enter the entire season.
In addition to the full season Xiaoshanqing, Hanting 3.5 and Orange 3.0 were also brought to the booth. In terms of hardware facilities, the Hanting 3.5 adopts a lighter design and environmentally friendly materials, while also adding soft service convenience facilities such as self-service laundry, self-service delivery, and self-service storage cabinets, providing guests with a better and more affordable hotel experience; The product space design of Orange Hotel 3.0 is distinct and bold, using a color system and geometric patterns derived from the "orange tree" to present the unique joyful aesthetics of oranges.
Huazhu's new products launched this year include Hello 2.0 and Crystal 2.5. Hello 2.0, choose Chinese red as the main color tone and apply the Chinese symbol of "gourd", which symbolizes peace and happiness, to the spatial design to create a unique Chinese aesthetic space; Crystal 2.5 has undergone a comprehensive upgrade in "form, sound, smell, taste, and touch" to create an exclusive healing space for business travelers.
The advantage of product strength cannot be separated from the empowerment of supply chain and digitalization. Huazhu's supply chain has put in a lot of effort to reduce costs and increase efficiency for franchisees. According to data, since 2024, the overall average cost of consumer goods, mattresses, cotton textiles, ceramic tiles, integrated basins, engineering lighting fixtures, hardware materials, faucets and showerheads, televisions, wood plastic panels and other materials has been reduced by over 20%, saving franchisees more than 700 million yuan.
Huazhu's digital construction has also entered the stage of deep intelligence in specific small scenarios. On the one hand, it allows consumers to enjoy services anytime and anywhere, and on the other hand, it integrates into all aspects of hotel management, reducing costs and increasing efficiency, and expanding the investment returns of franchisees.
Previously, many overseas travelers were deeply impressed by "China Hotel", which once became the "traffic code" for social media both domestically and internationally. Represented by companies such as Huazhu, Chinese hotels offer a series of technologically advanced features and services that provide travelers with experiences far beyond expectations. Nowadays, Huazhu's branded hotels have achieved a full process digital experience and management for users from booking, check-in, check-out, to the next repurchase. The efficient digital operation system also enables precise prediction of passenger flow and service demand, as well as dynamic allocation of channels and resources.
Deeply cultivating the Chinese market, Huazhu reshapes the hotel business model
The comprehensive brand matrix, high-quality product strength, and continuous service innovation together constitute Huazhu's strong market competitiveness, bringing more efficient and high-quality development to Huazhu. As of June 30, 2024, Huazhu Group operates over 10000 hotels in 18 countries, with over 250 million Huazhu members.
For a long time, Huazhu has focused on the Chinese market and actively laid out in third - and fourth tier cities. By introducing high-quality hotel products, Huazhu has effectively supplemented the accommodation facilities in the Chinese market and changed the business model of the traditional hotel market, bringing new opportunities to the regional economy.
In fact, in the era of real estate growth in the past, local governments and real estate enterprises often tended to introduce star rated hotels or operate independently. However, these hotels often failed to effectively meet the needs of the current consumer group due to high investment and outdated products, ultimately leading to unsatisfactory business results.
Nowadays, with more scientific and market validated business models, Huazhu has collaborated with many local governments, bringing many changes to various markets and setting many benchmark projects in the cultural and tourism field.
For example, in 2023, Huazhu collaborated with the Guiyang Municipal Government and the state-owned enterprise Guiyang Production Control Group to launch Guizhou's first Huajiantang Resort Hotel project - Huajiantang Wenfan · Zhuangyuan Bieyuan. The project is located in the core area of Qingyan Ancient Town, a 5A level scenic spot, and is widely popular for its unique ancient fortress architectural art and quadrangle courtyard architecture.
After several years of deep cultivation, Huazhu's deep cooperation with Guizhou has achieved significant results. Guizhou Province has introduced high-quality hotel products from Huazhu to enhance its accommodation service capabilities and create a world-class tourist destination, injecting strong impetus into the high-quality development of the local hotel industry. As of September 30, 2024, Huazhu has established 116 hotels in Guizhou, an increase of 297% from the end of 2022, and has covered 9 cities and 29 districts in Guizhou Province.
At the same time, Huazhu has also joined hands with more local governments and enterprises to promote the upgrading of the hotel industry. For example, in Guangdong, Xinjiang, Sichuan, Shandong, Hubei and other places, Huazhu has launched flagship projects to inject new vitality into the local hotel market.
'Going out and bringing in', Huazhu moves towards world-class standards
Huazhu is not only doing well in the domestic market, but also constantly exploring internationalization paths. In February 2024, the German Hotel Group acquired by Huazhu was officially renamed Huazhu International, providing strong support for Huazhu to further expand its global market layout. At present, Huazhu International's hotel business has spread throughout Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa, and the Asia Pacific region.
Through integration and innovation, Huazhu accelerates the introduction of excellent overseas brands into China, adding more color to the local market. For example, intercity hotels that inherit the genes of "refinement, quality, and efficiency" of German hotels, through integration with Huazhu's innovative system, provide a new accommodation experience for business travelers and vacation users. Since entering China in 2021, intercity hotels have gradually entered cities such as Shanghai, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Zhengzhou, Jinan, and Yantai, with over 30 hotels opening in China.
The Shiba Ge Hotel, founded in 1930, was introduced to the Chinese market by Huazhu and made corresponding strategic adjustments to integrate century old European classics into contemporary Eastern culture and elite lifestyle aesthetics. At the same time, targeting the pain points of the Chinese business travel market, we provide three pillars of services for Chinese guests: conferences, vacations, and banquets, connecting and combining business travel and leisure vacations through products and services.
As of June 30, 2024, Shiba Ge and Shiba Ge Grand View have opened 63 hotels worldwide, 15 hotels in China, and 6 hotels awaiting opening. It is worth noting that the Guizhou Xiaoqikong Shibaoge Grand View Hotel, which will open at the end of this year, is located in the world-class scenic area of Xiaoqikong in Libo. It is the first international brand hotel in Libo County and currently the largest and most well-equipped high-end international tourism resort hotel in Libo County.
In addition, while inheriting the European model, MaxX's magnificent hotel continues to inject international high-end hotel brand vitality into the tourism market with an international perspective and insight into the local market, creating a "new luxury beauty and extraordinary taste". After entering the Chinese market, nearly 20 projects have been opened and signed, and deployed in multiple core "city eyes" such as Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Changsha, Harbin, Qingdao, Changbai Mountain, etc.
In addition to "bringing in", Huazhu is also actively "going out". As early as 2019, the first overseas hotel of Huazhu's all season brand opened in the core area of Singapore, bringing hotel products and experiences with strong Eastern aesthetic heritage to Southeast Asia and receiving international acclaim.
Relying on the stage of the CIIE, Huazhu will further expand the opportunities brought by the opening up of domestic and foreign markets. Rooted in China, with a global perspective and steady development, Huazhu will undoubtedly become a hotel group that leads Chinese hotel services and shines on the world stage in the future.