Soluxe sees room for growth in hotel management deals

BEIJING - Soluxe Hospitality Group, a Beijing-based international hotel operator, is seeking to export its management expertise.

Its first such arrangement began on Aug 1 in Siem Reap, Cambodia, where it put the Angkor Palace Resort & Spa under its Grand Soluxe brand and assumed management of the hotel.

"We hope that through our partnership with the Soluxe Hospitality Group, we can help this country attract more well-heeled Chinese tourists to visit our magnificent Angkor temples," said Ly Hong, a Chinese-Cambodian and owner of the renamed Grand Soluxe Angkor Palace Resort & Spa.

Siem Reap is the gateway to the Angkor Wat complex, which features centuries of remains of the Khmer Empire.

Soluxe Hospitality Group has already established a presence in the emerging economies of Africa, South America and Europe. The group is now seeking to make inroads into countries such as Germany, Italy, France and Spain, according to Tim Gao, general manager of China National Petroleum Corp International Hotel Management Co Ltd, the parent of Soluxe.

"Every segment of the tourism and hospitality industry is aware of China's increasing presence and role on the global stage," said Weng Aow, general manager of Grand Soluxe Angkor Palace Resort & Spa, who was named as the hotel's new manager.

Soluxe Hospitality Group invests in or owns more than 60 hotels in Asia under various brands: Grand Soluxe, Soluxe Courtyard and Soluxe Inn. Now, it is seeking to market its management expertise separately.

Soluxe wants to take advantage of the changing aspirations of Chinese outbound tourists. Such travelers no longer go just to see a few famous sites but increasingly want to enjoy exotic and luxurious destinations.

In the case of Cambodia, visa applications have been simplified and many airports, including those in Beijing, Shanghai, Kunming and Chengdu, provide direct charter flights to and from Siem Reap.

All these factors are drawing more Chinese visitors to the Southeast Asian country.

In the first half, 1.13 million Chinese tourists visited Cambodia, a year-on-year increase of 35 percent, according to Jin Yuan, economic and commercial counselor of the Chinese embassy in Cambodia.

But Chinese tourists are not Soluxe's sole target market. Gao said that as the group seeks to "export" its hotel management concepts, it is also has its eye on Western travelers and cities such as Frankfurt, Paris and London.

China Daily

(China Daily 08/11/2011 page15)