Starwood and Hilton Catering to Chinese Market
Travel News — By Candice Walsh on July 19, 2011 at 1:35 pmWith the number of outbound Chinese travelers expected to top 100 million in less than 5 years, hotels like Hilton and Starwood realize the market has BIG potential.
So naturally they roll out the benefits for Chinese folks…and they’re pretty sweet.
The Hilton Huanying program (translates to “Welcome”) has all kinds of goodies for their guests: a front desk worker fluent in Chinese, and a room stocked with tea kettles, Chinese teas, and slippers. The TV even has specific Chinese channels. Plus their breakfast selections are epic, including everything from fried noodles to dough fritters.
Image: secretlondon123/Flickr
Starwood’s program, less aptly dubbed as Starwood Personalized Travel, has much the same sorta deal including amenities and gifts. Real original, Starwood…but thoughtful just the same. Although the comforts of home are nice, isn’t the point of travel to get outside the realm of familiarity and experience something new? Apparently not for these guys, because Hilton’s website listing in Bejiing features some perks like “contemporary American cuisine” (a la grilled burger).
The whole thing is pretty funny when you consider recent Hilton-Starwood Lawsuit, where Denizen brand plans for Hilton were quote “infected” with Starwood “trade secrets.” Apparently even several big name Starwood employees were hired by Hilton. But the case was settled, Hilton is out $75-million, and they’re still apparently competing neck to neck. Gotta love the friendly competition!
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