Booking Hotels Reservations

True, you would not normally associate the Arabian nights with Hangzhou. Still Muslim Chinese were a strong influence in trade in Huangzhou and several relics linking China to the Arab world exist. These are featured at the Arabian Travel Market 2008. This tourism promotion of Hangzhou made it the first ever Chinese city to aggressively promote tourism within the UAE and in the Middle East.

In fact, Arabian link or no, Hangzhou is a remarkably attractive city. Marco Polo visited Hangzhou in the late 13th century and referred to the city as ‘beyond dispute the finest and the noblest in the world.’

He called the city Kinsay which simply means ‘capital’ in Chinese (actually Polo used a Persianized version of the word). Although he exaggerated — Marco Polo was not always a teller of the absolute truth — and said the city was over one hundred miles in diameter and had 12,000 stone bridges, still he thought the city remarkable.

He wrote: ‘The number and wealth of the merchants, and the amount of goods that passed through their hands, was so enormous that no man could form a just estimate thereof.’

Which gave Li Hong, Director of Hangzhou Tourism Commission, a running start when, at the Arabian Travel Market, he urged Arab tourists to come to Hangzhou and see for themselves the Phoenix Mosque, one of four ancient Islamic mosques in China built during the Tang Dynasty between 618 and 907 A.D.

Plus the tomb of Bhatia, the Arabian scholar and doctor, who came to the capital of ancient China, Lin-an (now known as Hangzhou) in Southern Song Dynasty, fell in love with the city and settled there spreading Islam in the area dating back to as far as 800 years ago. And as an added benefit more than 700 Lanzhou hand-extended noodle shops selling halal traditional Muslim food and qualified Hangzhou cuisine.

The tourism official said that their participation in the Arabian Travel Market 2008 demonstrated their commitment to a long friendly relation with the UAE, especially Dubai.
Source: MenaFN

author Gareth Powell, source www.chinaeconomicreview.com

True, you would not normally associate the Arabian nights with Hangzhou. Still Muslim Chinese were a strong influence in trade in Huangzhou and several relics linking China to the Arab world exist. These are featured at the Arabian Travel Market 2008. This tourism promotion of Hangzhou made it the first ever Chinese city to aggressively promote tourism within the UAE and in the Middle East.

In fact, Arabian link or no, Hangzhou is a remarkably attractive city. Marco Polo visited Hangzhou in the late 13th century and referred to the city as ‘beyond dispute the finest and the noblest in the world.’

He called the city Kinsay which simply means ‘capital’ in Chinese (actually Polo used a Persianized version of the word). Although he exaggerated — Marco Polo was not always a teller of the absolute truth — and said the city was over one hundred miles in diameter and had 12,000 stone bridges, still he thought the city remarkable.

He wrote: ‘The number and wealth of the merchants, and the amount of goods that passed through their hands, was so enormous that no man could form a just estimate thereof.’

Which gave Li Hong, Director of Hangzhou Tourism Commission, a running start when, at the Arabian Travel Market, he urged Arab tourists to come to Hangzhou and see for themselves the Phoenix Mosque, one of four ancient Islamic mosques in China built during the Tang Dynasty between 618 and 907 A.D.

Plus the tomb of Bhatia, the Arabian scholar and doctor, who came to the capital of ancient China, Lin-an (now known as Hangzhou) in Southern Song Dynasty, fell in love with the city and settled there spreading Islam in the area dating back to as far as 800 years ago. And as an added benefit more than 700 Lanzhou hand-extended noodle shops selling halal traditional Muslim food and qualified Hangzhou cuisine.

The tourism official said that their participation in the Arabian Travel Market 2008 demonstrated their commitment to a long friendly relation with the UAE, especially Dubai.
Source: MenaFN

author Gareth Powell, source www.chinaeconomicreview.com

The Interlaken OCT Hotel provides an European–style five star experience within Interlaken Village in the eastern part of Shenzhen. Situated in a panoramic position between lovely lakes and forest, the area enjoys a mild and stable climate throughout the year. Visually the hotel is quite stunning. You need to go to the Internet site to get the full effect.

Now the hotel has a golf promotion package.

There are two rates: the three townhouses work ona base price of RMB2368 per room. Then there are nine pool villas at RMB3368 a room as the base price.

On these packages you get all sort of goodies thrown in including daily admission to the Theme Park use of the spa (massage is an extra) and breakfast.

The hotel is built very much in the European style and some of the interiors are quite stunning. There is even 24-hour personalized butler services.

Worth visiting the site just for the pictures which are amazing.
Source: Interlaken Hotel

author Gareth Powell, source www.chinaeconomicreview.com

Otis, probably the most famous elevator company in the world, has won a $23 million contract to provide high-speed elevators at China’s Guangzhou International Financial Center, a hotel and office building that will be among the tallest in the world.

Otis will install a mix of its ‘Skyway’ double-deck elevators with speeds up to 1,378 feet per minute, and its ‘Elevonic’ high-speed gearless elevators capable of up to 1,575 feet per minute

When completed for the 2010 Asia Games in Guangzhou, China, the tower will reach a height of 1,417 feet and be among the tallest buildings in the world. The 103-story building is designed for offices on lower floors with the luxury hotel, as yet unnamed, above the 70th floor for a luxury hotel.

Otis bills itself as the world’s largest manufacturer and maintainer of ‘people-moving products’ including elevators, escalators, and moving walkways.

Elisha Graves Otis, as seen in our splendid illustration, sold his first safety elevators in 1853. Otis’s invention increased public confidence in elevators, and therefore allowed for the mass construction of a new trend of building: the skyscraper.

The company pioneered the development of the safety elevator, invented by Otis, which used a special mechanism to lock the elevator car in place should the hoisting ropes fail.

Otis made skyscrapers possible by providing safe mechanical transport to upper floors. The company he founded became known as the Otis Elevator Company, the largest elevator company in the world.
Source: Hartford Business

author Gareth Powell, source www.chinaeconomicreview.com

Kempinski Hotel Xi’an is set to open this May. It calls itself a ‘business hotel’ so it will have extensive MICE facilities including a 1,600 square meter ballroom. It is aiming to cater for the 450 plus trade fairs that are held in Xi’an every year and it is the offical venue for the bi-annual Euro-Asia Economic Forum.

It will have 355 guestrooms and for those who can’t resist a tune, a 3,000 square meter Kareoke entertainment area. The hotel is located right where the Chan and Ba Rivers cross each other in the Chanba Ecological District, northeast of Xi’an city.

The hotel just had a site inspection by four officials shown in the photo. From the left: hotel GM Yoland Perras, Wang Jun who is CEO of Chanba District Development, Bai Huqun from the Illness Controls Bureau, government official Wang Chengwen and Lily Cao, GM of Xi’an Neo China Chanba Euro Asia Hotel Development Co.
Source: Kempinski Hotel Xi’an

author Anna Bartram, source www.chinaeconomicreview.com

For a while, getting a Chinese visa was not easy. The people staffing the office, particularly in Australia, went through a rudeness test. Then it became apparent that tourism and business are good thing for an economy and the whole process what transformed into a stress-free delight. (The Sydney office deserves a special mention. The commissionaire there treats you as an honored guest.)

Because of political demonstrations — Tibet and Dafur — Chinese officials have again put the clamp on visa restrictions and this just ahead of the Olympic Games.

The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China cited members’ reports of refused applications for multiple-entry business visas and rush services, and for shortened validity periods on approved visas. Some members were being told to return to their home countries in order to apply for business visa renewals.

Joerg Wuttke, president of the European chamber in China said, ‘This benefits no one. These new practices make the possibility of traveling to China for business uncertain and increase travel costs by limiting the number of entries per visa.

On April 18, the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong sent a sharply worded letter to Beijing’s representative in Hong Kong about what it called ‘clearly a significant change in business and tourism visa policies.’ The letter, written by AmCham President Richard Vuylsteke and addressed to Foreign Ministry commissioner Lu Xinhua, included a summary of replies from a snap survey the chamber conducted among its members, detailing the headaches business travelers are facing.

Richard Vuylsetke wrote, ‘These recent changes and, even more so, the way in which they have been implemented is a significant step backwards.’
Source: Wall Street Journal

author Gareth Powell, source www.chinaeconomicreview.com

The Grand Millennium Hotel, part of the Fortune plaza Complex, Beijing, (seen here) has opened in the center of the city’s financial and business district.

The hotel is owned and managed by Millennium & Copthorne International.

Mr Kwek Leng Beng, chairman of M&C Hotels, said: ‘Securing the Grand Millennium Beijing anchors our presence in China and is a key development in our stated aim to grow in Asia.’

Mr. Tan Kim Seng, senior vice president of Millenium & Copthorne International, added: ‘The addition of Grand Millennium Beijing to our presence in China, which includes Millennium Wuxi Hotel, Millennium Hongqiao Shanghai and Millennium Hotel Xiamen, will augment our brand awareness in a country with a substantial outbound market that is growing at a vigorous pace.’

The five star hotel has 521 guest rooms and has a business center, an indoor swimming pool, a spa and fitness centre, five restaurants and bars and an Executive Club lounge.

But note confusion can arise because this is not the first Millenium Hotel in Beijing.

There was the Millennium Hotel, Beijing in Guanganmen Nei Street, Xuanwu District. It is now called the Grand Metropark.
Source: eTravelBlackboard

author Gareth Powell, source www.chinaeconomicreview.com

The Grand Millennium Hotel, part of the Fortune plaza Complex, Beijing, (seen here) has opened in the center of the city’s financial and business district.

The hotel is owned and managed by Millennium & Copthorne International.

Mr Kwek Leng Beng, chairman of M&C Hotels, said: ‘Securing the Grand Millennium Beijing anchors our presence in China and is a key development in our stated aim to grow in Asia.’

Mr. Tan Kim Seng, senior vice president of Millenium & Copthorne International, added: ‘The addition of Grand Millennium Beijing to our presence in China, which includes Millennium Wuxi Hotel, Millennium Hongqiao Shanghai and Millennium Hotel Xiamen, will augment our brand awareness in a country with a substantial outbound market that is growing at a vigorous pace.’

The five star hotel has 521 guest rooms and has a business center, an indoor swimming pool, a spa and fitness centre, five restaurants and bars and an Executive Club lounge.

But note confusion can arise because this is not the first Millenium Hotel in Beijing.

There was the Millennium Hotel, Beijing in Guanganmen Nei Street, Xuanwu District. It is now called the Grand Metropark.
Source: eTravelBlackboard

author Gareth Powell, source www.chinaeconomicreview.com

The architect of the Grand Hyatt Guangzhou, Peter Remedios, calls his latest project, scheduled to open in spring 2008, ‘an architectural tour de force’. Architects do not do bashful well.

Situated in Guangzhou’s new central business district of Tianhe — whose English name is Pearl River New Town — Grand Hyatt Guangzhou is located in one wing of a brand new streamlined twin-tower building.

This is the first international hotel in Guangzhou to feature a ’sky lobby’ located 22 floors up. Like many other areas in the hotel, it offers expansive views across the Pearl River and Tianhe CBD.

The hotel has 375 guestrooms each with a bathroom island – incorporating a separate soaking tub and rain shower.

Peter Remedios said, ‘It can be open and as sexy as you want, or closed off for privacy.’ Which could lead to some interesting arguments if you are staying there with your wife.

A specially designed inset wall frame allows a 37-inch multi-channel LCD flat-screen TV to be neatly stored flush with the wall and swung out when required for viewing from certain angles.

For it to be used as a MICE hotel on the third floor, the hotel’s three interconnecting sections of the Grand Ballroom can be augmented by fully enclosed VIP and bridal rooms. There are also six function rooms and a Business Centre on the same level.

Hyatt currently operates 10 hotels in Greater China, including Grand Hyatt Beijing, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, Grand Hyatt Shanghai, Hyatt on the Bund, Shanghai, Grand Hyatt Taipei, Hyatt Regency Dongguan, Hyatt Regency Hangzhou, Hyatt Regency Jing Jin City Resort and Spa, Hyatt Regency Tianjin and Hyatt Regency Xian. An additional 12 hotels are under development.
Source: China NewsWire

author Gareth Powell, source www.chinaeconomicreview.com

As mentioned in a previous post on March 20, Swissôtel Grand, Shanghai will open to the public later this month. It is offering a special rate on its ‘Classic Rooms’. If you book between May and August 2008, a one-night stay is RMB 1,295 (about US$178) inc. breakfast + tax and service charge.

Other deals include 20% discounts on food, bevs and spa treatments for members of the “Miles and More” program of Lufthansa and Swiss International Air Lines. And there are also benefits for those who belong to Asia Miles, Air China, Jet Airways and JAL. 
Source: Swissôtel Grand, Shanghai

author Anna Bartram, source www.chinaeconomicreview.com