A SIGNING ceremony has taken place between Kerry (Dalian) and Dalian General Merchandise and Textile Fabrics Group to develop the 520-room Shangri-La Hotel in Dalian. The joint-venture hotel, to be run by Shangri-La International Hotel Management, is scheduled to open in the middle of 1997 and will form part of a twin-tower multi-purpose complex. One tower will be set aside for the hotel, and the other for high-quality office and residential space. Shangri-La operates seven hotels in China, in Beijing, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Xian. New hotels planned for the mainland include the Shangri-La Hotel in Beihai, which will open in the middle of next year; Traders Hotel in Shenyang; and Shangri-La Hotel in Changchun.