Booming Hotel Chain Opens New Property Every Two Days
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(CNN) — China’s economic success has created a fast-growing middle class and an explosion in domestic travel. Cashing in on the travel boom is one hotel chain that’s expanding so fast, it’s opening a new property every two days.
Budget hotel chain Hanting Inns was founded by billionaire businessman Ji Qi seven years ago. Today it has 1,000 properties in China, across four brands, and Ji expects Hanting to be the world’s biggest hotel chain by 2020.
The company takes inspiration from Western low-cost hotel chains that cater for frequent business travelers on a budget, such as Accor, Ibis and Premier Inn.
“I first got the idea from a book introducing Accor, about how they open small hotels with less expensive but cozy, clean rooms,” Ji told CNN’s Richard Quest.
“I realized there’s a gap in the Chinese market for such hotels as well so I decided to invest experimentally in that niche.”
Ji identifies three things that Chinese customers look for in a hotel room — all of which will chime with Western travelers: a soft bed, free internet access and a good hot shower after a long, tiring day.
