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Landison Longjing Resort celebrates nature and tea culture
By David Maguire |
May 11, 2009, Monday
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A Hangzhou-based hotel group is doubly happy so far with the 2009 trading year because market trends are strong and it recently included a new property to take advantage of the resilient tourism lure of the famous city's tea culture.
The Landison Longjing Resort opened in March and gave the owners a new string to their bow, adding a significant five-star leisure property to the established five-star Landison Plaza in the CBD that caters to the business market.
Longjing Resort features 51 Asian-style guest rooms nestled among the celebrated Longjing tea plantations near the West Lake, and blends old world charm with tasteful modern luxury.
The focal point of this nature-inspired resort celebrates the culture of tea as reflected in the surrounding plantation, the hotel's tea master, specialty dishes and ... tea-based spa amenities.
"Tourists are not only interested in the views but also the culture and that's what we're focusing on now with our premium properties," says Max Zhang, general manager of development for the Landison Tourism Group.
The Landison Putuoshan Resort, built to the same standard as the company's other premium properties, opened at the same time as the tea resort. It is a deluxe boutique destination with 104 guest rooms, and located on an island rich with Buddhist culture in Zhejiang Province's Zhoushan City.
"We offer visitors the opportunity to experience tea culture at the Longjing Resort and Buddhist culture in Putuo Island," Zhang says.
He is upbeat about the Hangzhou market and buoyed by first-quarter tourism statistics showing growth in the March quarter compared to last year. "The major business in the delta is manufacturing and trade and it has been under threat during this period," he said.
"Company owners have adjusted their focus from concentrating last year on America and Europe to this year shifting to Africa and other places as well as putting greater effort into the domestic market."
The company will open four new hotels in Zhejiang Province this year, increasing its capacity by 850 rooms.
It is also putting the finishing touches on a new serviced apartment hotel under the Vigor brand in Shanghai's Jiading District, opening in time to service World Expo customers next year.
The Landison Plaza is the flagship of the 20-year-old Landison Tourism Group, which owns or operates 40 hotels mainly in the Yangtze River Delta region and employs more than 2,000 staff.
The company's hotels are divided into the luxury five-star Landison brand that includes boutique hotels, the express hotel style Elan Group, which has 11 properties, and the Vigor Group in between.
"The group's success is earned through unique service, high standards and leading the market by offering quality to all customers," Zhang says.
"Our American and European guests value quality of service and they have taught us a lot about how to focus on this area. We use their principles and standards to adapt our operations to take as much market share as possible."
The company employs foreign managers where possible in key positions. For example, at Landison Plaza, the Executive General Manager Michael Murphy is from Canada, the Italian restaurant executive chef is from England and a Japanese oversees the Unkai restaurant.
The group's headquarters is at the Landison Plaza, a 285-room luxury hotel opened in 2000 in the heart of the city's business and shopping district in Tiyuchang Road.
It has seven multi-purpose meeting rooms, a large banquet facility and a spacious and comprehensive business center.
It has five specialist restaurants and possibly the coziest off-lobby bar in Hangzhou called the Pictures Bar, which features an intimate cocktail and casual drinks area as well as a cigar room and outside verandah. It is steeped in a celebration of old Hangzhou evoked through black-and-white photos of the city, farmers' houses, bridges and the river gracing the walls.
Valentino is the hotel's premier dining outlet on the 26th floor and while providing views of the city and the famed West Lake it serves up a rich selection of Italian cuisine specialties. The Unkai restaurant has a sushi bar, two teppanyaki counters and private tatami rooms offering traditional Japanese cuisine.
The Summer Palace features a local blend of Cantonese and Family Tan delicacies, and its signature abalone dishes are renown throughout the city, while The Oriental offers a full range of Southeast Asian and local Chinese cuisine.
Plaza caters to a customer mix of 45 percent foreign guests and 55 percent domestic visitors and boasts repeat business of 44 percent.
Zhang pays tribute to his five-star competitors in the city and is not uncomfortable that Landison Plaza is 10-15 minutes from the West Lake tourism precinct.
"Our value is just as good with lower rates" compared with those hotels near the lake, he says.
"We are focused on quality of service and product. Not only do we offer a wider range of cuisine that our customers say is the best in Hangzhou, but we also offer a pillow menu in the rooms so you can choose whether you want cotton, foam or whatever."
The Landison Longjing Resort opened in March and gave the owners a new string to their bow, adding a significant five-star leisure property to the established five-star Landison Plaza in the CBD that caters to the business market.
Longjing Resort features 51 Asian-style guest rooms nestled among the celebrated Longjing tea plantations near the West Lake, and blends old world charm with tasteful modern luxury.
The focal point of this nature-inspired resort celebrates the culture of tea as reflected in the surrounding plantation, the hotel's tea master, specialty dishes and ... tea-based spa amenities.
"Tourists are not only interested in the views but also the culture and that's what we're focusing on now with our premium properties," says Max Zhang, general manager of development for the Landison Tourism Group.
The Landison Putuoshan Resort, built to the same standard as the company's other premium properties, opened at the same time as the tea resort. It is a deluxe boutique destination with 104 guest rooms, and located on an island rich with Buddhist culture in Zhejiang Province's Zhoushan City.
"We offer visitors the opportunity to experience tea culture at the Longjing Resort and Buddhist culture in Putuo Island," Zhang says.
He is upbeat about the Hangzhou market and buoyed by first-quarter tourism statistics showing growth in the March quarter compared to last year. "The major business in the delta is manufacturing and trade and it has been under threat during this period," he said.
"Company owners have adjusted their focus from concentrating last year on America and Europe to this year shifting to Africa and other places as well as putting greater effort into the domestic market."
The company will open four new hotels in Zhejiang Province this year, increasing its capacity by 850 rooms.
It is also putting the finishing touches on a new serviced apartment hotel under the Vigor brand in Shanghai's Jiading District, opening in time to service World Expo customers next year.
The Landison Plaza is the flagship of the 20-year-old Landison Tourism Group, which owns or operates 40 hotels mainly in the Yangtze River Delta region and employs more than 2,000 staff.
The company's hotels are divided into the luxury five-star Landison brand that includes boutique hotels, the express hotel style Elan Group, which has 11 properties, and the Vigor Group in between.
"The group's success is earned through unique service, high standards and leading the market by offering quality to all customers," Zhang says.
"Our American and European guests value quality of service and they have taught us a lot about how to focus on this area. We use their principles and standards to adapt our operations to take as much market share as possible."
The company employs foreign managers where possible in key positions. For example, at Landison Plaza, the Executive General Manager Michael Murphy is from Canada, the Italian restaurant executive chef is from England and a Japanese oversees the Unkai restaurant.
The group's headquarters is at the Landison Plaza, a 285-room luxury hotel opened in 2000 in the heart of the city's business and shopping district in Tiyuchang Road.
It has seven multi-purpose meeting rooms, a large banquet facility and a spacious and comprehensive business center.
It has five specialist restaurants and possibly the coziest off-lobby bar in Hangzhou called the Pictures Bar, which features an intimate cocktail and casual drinks area as well as a cigar room and outside verandah. It is steeped in a celebration of old Hangzhou evoked through black-and-white photos of the city, farmers' houses, bridges and the river gracing the walls.
Valentino is the hotel's premier dining outlet on the 26th floor and while providing views of the city and the famed West Lake it serves up a rich selection of Italian cuisine specialties. The Unkai restaurant has a sushi bar, two teppanyaki counters and private tatami rooms offering traditional Japanese cuisine.
The Summer Palace features a local blend of Cantonese and Family Tan delicacies, and its signature abalone dishes are renown throughout the city, while The Oriental offers a full range of Southeast Asian and local Chinese cuisine.
Plaza caters to a customer mix of 45 percent foreign guests and 55 percent domestic visitors and boasts repeat business of 44 percent.
Zhang pays tribute to his five-star competitors in the city and is not uncomfortable that Landison Plaza is 10-15 minutes from the West Lake tourism precinct.
"Our value is just as good with lower rates" compared with those hotels near the lake, he says.
"We are focused on quality of service and product. Not only do we offer a wider range of cuisine that our customers say is the best in Hangzhou, but we also offer a pillow menu in the rooms so you can choose whether you want cotton, foam or whatever."
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