Hotels which work to accommodate the particular needs of Chinese guests are to receive the new HRS CHINA FRIENDLY HOTEL seal. In 2012, 4.4 million Chinese tourists and business travellers visited urope. The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) expects this figure to quadruple by 2020. This has established China as the world’s leading country in terms of travel.
Over the past year, tourists and business travellers from China have spent approximately 91 billion dollars on trips abroad. However, many Chinese visitors still find the European hotel market quite daunting, and it can be difficult to find the right hotel which can meet the specific requirements of this tourist group. The new CHINA FRIENDLY HOTEL seal from HRS will immediately benefit tourists, offering them more guidance.The seal distinguishes hotels which cater for the specific needs of their Chinese guests. European hotels must fulfil a particular set of criteria in order to be listed as a CHINA FRIENDLY HOTEL on the HRS website. These criteria have been established on the basis of market research conducted by HRS. Some examples include the provision of a kettle in each bedroom and an adaptor for Chinese electrical appliances. Other ways of helping these visitors adjust to Europe is to offer on-site information in Mandarin, the official language of China, or to provide the option of payment via China Union Pay, China’s only credit card company. Food and drink should also be adapted to Asian preferences. The seal is displayed in the hotel list on the Chinese HRS website and is a valuable source of help for those planning a trip. This will make it significantly easier for Chinese travellers to search for the right hotel. They can search specifically for hotels with the CHINA FRIENDLY HOTEL seal. These certified hotels are displayed prominently on www.HRS.cn which means they can attract more interest, are easier to find and have increased booking potential.”We have seen a significant increase in the number of bookings made in China. We know that many Chinese travellers only have a limited amount of time available for their trip to Europe, and they want to get the most out of this time. The seal therefore provides a quick and easy guide for them,” says Tobias Ragge, CEO of HRS.
China has become the most important foreign market for HRS. The company invested in China very early on, and even set up a branch in Shanghai in 2002. This means that HRS has a very deep understanding of the requirements of Chinese tourists. The company has about 100 employees in China. “With over half a billion internet users, China is already the largest
online market in the world. The number of users booking both private and business trips is increasing steadily,” says Tobias Ragge of the current development. In the corporate customer segment, HRS is already one of the three largest online travel
companies in the country.