Zendai opens hotel institute
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(Shanghai, December 8, 2009) - Shanghai-based Zendai Group has unveiled one of China’s largest in-house training institutes for hotel professionals in a purpose-built facility close to the Himalayas Center in Pudong, Shanghai.
The Zendai Hotel Institute underscores Zendai Hotels’ commitment to service excellence and the development of China’s hospitality industry ahead of the opening of its two exclusive Shanghai hotels in 2010.
Zendai Hotel Yin and Zendai Art Hotel will pioneer a new era in modern Chinese hospitality, providing unrivalled service to discerning Chinese and international travelers while also offering unique insights into China’s rich culture and tradition through art installations, wellness retreats, tea rooms and dining experiences. Zendai Hotel Institute is an important step in fostering modern Chinese hospitality and service, exquisitely rooted in Chinese culture.
The new Center offers a truly unique hospitality curriculum with a strong focus on art and culture. As well as international standard training in hotel management and operations - from Housekeeping and Front Office, to Food and Beverage and Spa therapy - students gain a deep understanding of Chinese culture through courses in tea knowledge, martial arts, seasonal nutrition and wellness, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), calligraphy, painting, Chinese opera, I Ching, floral arrangement and Chinese music appreciation.
State-of-the-art facilities within Zendai Hotel Institute include: a professional demonstration kitchen and bar, language laboratory, computer lab, six classrooms and an exercise studio. There is also a 260-bed residence offering students free accommodation and meals.
Trainees are recruited from vocational schools and universities across China based on strict selection criteria. After between three and twelve months of “Zendai Himalayas style” training, the best graduates will be offered full-time employment at the Zendai Hotel Yin or Zendai Art Hotel, forming a unique Chinese hospitality team able to offer the highest standards of service while also unlocking rich Chinese cultural experiences for guests.
Zendai Hotel Institute will also interact with the local community by offering short vocational courses in food preparation, housekeeping and Chinese culture for domestic helpers, private cooks and butlers.
“We want to lead by example in showing that Chinese owners should invest money in human resources and training in order to make their operation efficient and develop the industry here so that China will become renowned for its culture of great Chinese hospitality,” said Mr. Jean Pierre Dosse, Hotel Managing Director of Shanghai Zendai Himalayas Real Estate Company Ltd. and Dean of the Zendai Hotel Institute.
“Our aim within the next five years is to be the best-known hotel training ground in China and the preferred employer in the hotel industry. We hope to expand nationwide with our concept of ‘Modern Chinese Hospitality’, where art, culture and hospitality combine,” added Mr. Dosse.
About Zendai Hotel Yin
The 75-room Zendai Hotel Yin occupies the top four floors of the Himalayas Center hotel tower and is the first hotel in China admitted to The Leading Small Hotels of the World collection. The exclusive hotel is styled as a contemporary ‘urban retreat’, offering around-the-clock butler service and a focus on serenity, wellness and traditional Chinese culture.
The spiritual core of the hotel, Yin Wellness is a sanctuary for relaxation and rejuvenation with an outstanding range of individually customized Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatments devised by full-time TCM doctors. At Yin Tea House, guests can experience a range of traditional arts such as poetry, calligraphy, painting, folk music, tea ceremonies and floral arrangement, as well as enjoy health conscious, seasonal cuisine.
The interiors of Zendai Hotel Yin are designed by world-renowned firm KCA International, whose iconic portfolio includes the Burj al Arab in Dubai. In the design for Hotel Yin, KCA has taken Chinese culture as inspiration and based the rooms’ proportions and furniture measurements on ancient Chinese ‘Luban’ principles.
Zendai Hotel Yin will be opening in autumn, in time for the Shanghai World Expo.
About Zendai Art Hotel
Chinese art and culture is also central to Zendai Art Hotel, occupying the first 17 floors of the Himalayas Center hotel tower. A member of the prestigious Preferred Hotels & Resorts collection, the business-style hotel is designed to be a living, thriving display of Chinese art.
With 313 luxurious rooms and suites, Zendai Art Hotel is distinguished by its contemporary Chinese design by KCA International, high-tech facilities and services, and exceptional dining concepts.
Located directly opposite the Shanghai New International Expo Center, and just minutes from Pudong’s financial district, it also places a strong focus on the MICE market, with several exciting indoor and outdoor spaces for all types of meetings, events and corporate entertaining, including 19 unique Hospitality Suites.
Zendai Art Hotel will be opening in summer in time for the Shanghai World Expo.
More information about the hotels can be found at www.zendaihotels.com
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