Sheraton proud of its pioneering spirit

Starwood Hotels and Resorts celebrated 30 years in the Chinese mainland with the official opening of the Sheraton Xishuangbanna Hotel in Gasa Tourism Area in Yunnan province in March. [Photo provided to China Daily]

After 30 years in the Chinese mainland, the iconic Sheraton brand of Starwood Hotels and Resorts continues to cater to the thriving resorts market in China by being a pioneering presence in new places and adapting to the changing demands of the market.

As Starwood's most globally presented brand, Sheraton has a portfolio of more than 430 hotels in nearly 70 countries. Among them, 67 are in China, with more than 40 in the pipeline.

Sheraton was the first international five-star hotel chain to enter China when The Great Wall Sheraton Hotel Beijing was established in 1985. For years, Sheraton was synonymous with five-star luxury for many Chinese.

Starwood acquired Sheraton in 1998 and now it is the group's largest brand and also a dominant international upscale hotel brand in China.

Vincent Ong, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Asia-Pacific senior director of brand management, said one of the biggest advantages of the Sheraton brand is that it is always a "first mover", exploring new markets and new places.

"Sheraton enters a new market and introduces a great hospitality experience from an international brand blended with local elements," said Ong.

Out of the 67 Sheraton properties in China, 28 Sheraton hotels and resorts have been the first international upscale hotels in burgeoning urban locations across China.

Ong noted that the growing affluence in the domestic market means people are willing to travel more.

"We want to be at the place where they go for holidays. What's fantastic about China is that there are still so many places that are new to people and they want to visit. We want to be there."

Sheraton operates 16 resort destinations in its current portfolio in China. In the next three years, there are five more resorts due to open in Suzhou, Ningbo, Diqing of Yunnan province, Hainan and the western mountain area of Beijing.

The Sheraton Xishuangbanna Hotel in Gasa Tourism Area in Yunnan province officially opened in March, the first Starwood hotel in the province. It is the first international resort destination in Gasa with hot springs on its premises.

Ong said that the biggest challenge in keeping the brand relevant and popular is the changes in consumer behavior. Sheraton markets itself as a lifestyle brand, and accordingly it keeps presenting new programs to attract new customers and build loyalty.

Consumers today are more skeptical when it comes to how a company will communicate with them and they trust their friends more than what the company tells them, he said.

"Brands that are successful have started to personalize their products and services to every single individual person."

In addition, Ong observed that for consumers today, they do not live in a world of hotel brands; they live in a world of all types of brands.

"When they step through the door of one of our hotels, they are comparing us as a brand not jus to our competitor hotel brands, but to other brands. For example, they will be comparing the speed of our Wi-Fi to the free Internet connection in Starbucks."

Ong said that they try to make sure the brand is competitive in the minds of consumers against all the brands in other sectors of the market.