Exhibition quality in the PRD

Guangzhou’s development as an exhibition and conference hub has directly mirrored the growth of China’s economy. The city’s highlight venue is the Guangzhou International Convention and Exhibition Centre (GICEC) Pazhou, which is the world’s third-largest exhibition centre (Frankfurt and Milan are first and second), and is home to China’s two largest fairs – The Canton Fair each April and October, and the Furniture Fair each March and August.

In October the complex will open an extra 80,000 sqm of space as part of its phase three development. Guangzhou is also due to open several new hotels over the next three years including a Sheraton, W Hotel, Four Season and Park Hyatt.

However the newest property in town is the Grand Hyatt Guangzhou, built in the up and coming Tianhe District. This is the first international hotel in Guangzhou to feature a sky lobby, which is on the 22nd floor.

The Grand Hyatt Guangzhou’s third floor houses its business and function areas. This area is accessed by a separate entrance to the hotel’s main lobby. The hotel features six meeting spaces of various sizes and a grand ballroom with a capacity of 980 sqm.

Another recent opening is the 351-room Ritz-Carlton Guangzhou. The hotel is well placed to take advantage of the city’s new CBD, opera house and museum, which are all currently under construction. The hotel is designed for smaller, high-end groups with the largest space able to hold 600 for cocktails.

Only a few minutes’ walk from GICEC, the Shangri-La Guangzhou offers 704 rooms and a ballroom that can hold up to 3,000 people theatre style. There is also a 95-seat auditorium for high-end events and a Chi Spa.

The Westin Guangzhou is another recently opened property in downtown Guangzhou. It features the largest standard rooms in town (50 sqm) and is currently expanding its meeting facilities.