Langham Hospitality Group has become the latest hotel company to launch a programme targeting Chinese travellers.
Named ‘Ying’, the scheme is intended to provide a selection of services tailored to the needs of guests and groups from mainland China.
The programme will be split into four areas: Ying Specialties, Ying Welcome, Ying In-room, and Ying Cuisine. ‘Ying Specialties’ offers services to Chinese groups, including quotations in Chinese yuan, contracts in Simplified Chinese, and other bill settlements offered through UnionPay. ‘Ying Welcome’ greets guests with local information written in Simplified Chinese, directions to the nearest Chinatown and Mandarin speaking staff.
‘Ying In-room’ offers guests Chinese tea, Chinese television channels and Chinese-language newspapers, and ‘Ying Cuisine’ provides traditional Chinese dishes in restaurants, such as dim sum, congee and noodles.
“In Chinese culture, Ying is an auspicious word meaning ‘abundance’. Therefore, it’s only appropriate that the new programme is specially designed to provide Chinese guests with an abundance of home comforts during their stay,” said Simon Manning, Langham’s Vice President of Sales & Marketing.
Several major hotel groups have rolled-out schemes for Chinese visitors in recent years. Hilton’s Huanying and Marriott’s Li Yi programmes have already been launched in several countries, offering a similar range of services for the Chinese outbound market. Taking Chinese hospitality a step further, IHG has even rolled out an entire new brand, Hualuxue Hotels & Resorts, specifically for the Chinese market, while Accor has tailored its Grand Mercure brand to the needs of Chinese guests.
The UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has estimated that the total number of outbound tourists from China will reach 100 million by 2020.