SRS pushes Chinese expansion

By Kenny Coyle Beijing SRS-WorldHotels is planning a major push to build the group's portfolios in mainland Chinese cities. At a recent SRS-WorldHotels AsiaPacific conference held at the Hotel Kunlun in Beijing, worldwide CEO Michael Ball outlined the company's plans to treble the number of hotels represented in Hong Kong and mainland China from the current 17 to 50 within three years. "We are making Shanghai, where we only have one member at the moment, a key priority." However, the SRS-WorldHotels strategy will also be to concentrate on building up its portfolio in secondary cities outside the main centres of Beijiing and Shanghai. "These secondary cities have sizeable populations and are important business centres," said Ball. The push into China will be spearheaded by Roland Jegge,vice-president Asia Pacific, SRS-WorldHotels. "This is an exciting time for us. We are about to sign a deal with a Chinese airline to offer frequent flyer points. This is a huge advantage for winning Chinese business. "We are seeing a boost in bookings. Business is up 120 per cent in Hong Kong and China over the past year and up 60 per cent over 2002. This represents consistent growth, not just a rebound from the Sars period," Jegge said. The group's WorldEvents service, allows booking of facilities at over 450 affiliated hotels.