Atlanta-based America’s Best Franchising continues to expand in China with the opening of a new five-star hotel in Yiwu, a city of about two million people located about 190 miles southwest of Shanghai.
The eight-floor, 80-room property becomes the fourth hotel in China for America’s Best Hotels China Limited, a partnership which has operated franchise properties in that country since January of 2010. Already in operation are two other properties in Yiwu and another in Wuyi, which is located within 250 miles of Shanghai.
“Despite a sluggish worldwide economy, the Chinese hospitality industry has been growing at about 6 to 7% a year for the past five years and occupancy at luxury hotels is typically at 60% or higher -- due to a healthy market of international tourists and a wealthy market of domestic travelers,” according to Doug Collins, Chairman and CEO of America’s Best Franchising.
“Our franchise partners are an important part of this growth and we expect to add five to 10 new properties a year in China for the next 10 years.”
Features at the new Yiwu hotel include meeting rooms, a lobby lounge, café, Western-style restaurant, swimming pool, health club, and a ballroom of almost 3,500 sq. ft. for weddings and conferences. Each floor features a different design theme and style.
America’s Best Franchising operates more than 250 hotels primarily in the United States, but also in China, Canada, India, Nigeria, and Belize. The company has five brands -- America’s Best Inns & Suites, Budgetel Inns & Suites, Country Hearth Inns & Suites, Parkside Hotels & Resorts, and 3 Palms Hotels & Resorts.
For more information about America’s Best Franchising, see the www.abestfranchising.com website. For more information about the new hotel, including to view photographs, visit the www.meisenhotel.com website.
