International upscale Swiss hotel management company Movenpick Hotels & Resorts welcomes hotel owners and developers as it embarks on its most aggressive expansion yet across Asia, especially China. The company opened Movenpick Hotel Enshi, its first hotel in China, in August this year and plans to build five more across the country within five years. Overall, Movenpick will put up 18 hotels across Asia through greenfield joint-venture projects. This will increase its establishments across the region from seven to 25 within five years. "We are a fresh brand coming in," says Markus Mueller, vice-president for sales and marketing for Asia. "China is a big growth opportunity and it can only work in partnership with hotel owners and developers." Offering potential investors support across the whole value chain from conceptualisation and branding to talent recruitment and operational management, Movenpick lends expertise from managing close to 100 hotels across 24 countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. The company's strategy of growing in clusters also offers partners economies of scale, scope and brand awareness. "We ultimately want our investors to make money while offering a true spirit of hospitality," Mueller says. Combining Swiss precision with the warmth of Asian hospitality, Mövenpick is set to serve Asia with the best of both worlds. The 14-storey Movenpick Hotel Enshi, for example, gave the city its first five-star international hotel experience. Located near where the Avatar cliff scenes were filmed, the hotel counts easy access to natural wonders, 240 exquisite wood-furnished guest rooms, five restaurants and 11 state-of-the-art meeting rooms among its amenities. Movenpick will also develop a hotel in Foshan and Movenpick Hotel & State Guest House Chifeng. "We are an upscale brand, but we are not about luxury. We are more about down-to-earth, authentic natural enjoyment," Mueller says. Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts www.movenpick-hotels.com
