Fairmont President's Club - Fairmont announces new property in China; Fairmont Nanjing to Open Late 2012

http://www.marketwire.com/press-release-canada/Fairmont-Announces-New-Property-in-China-1409311.htm

TORONTO, March 10, 2011 - Expanding its presence in Asia Pacific, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has announced the addition of a new property in China, the Fairmont Nanjing scheduled to open late 2012.

Situated in Hexi New Town, a burgeoning, new commercial district in southwest Nanjing the capital of Jiangsu province, Fairmont Nanjing will be part of the JinAo Plaza development featuring a 56-story building housing the hotel and office space, along with retail and residential offerings.

The hotel will feature 371 spacious guestrooms and suites and guests will enjoy a variety of restaurants and bars as well as a 1,800 square meter (19,375 sq ft) Willow Stream Spa, pool and fitness facilities. With 2,500 square meters (26, 900 sq ft) of function and meeting space, the property will be able to accommodate groups both small and large.

The project is being developed by Jiangsu Golden Land Group Real Estate Development Col, Ltd. ('Jingao'), a Nanjing-based real estate company focused on commercial and residential enterprises.

"Expanding our impressive collection in China is a key goal for Fairmont, and this project provides many synergies with our existing hotels," said Chris Cahill, President, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. "Jingao is leading an exciting revitalization project in Nanjing and we are honored to create with them a new, vibrant destination in the community."

Situated on the south bank of the Yangtze River, Nanjing is a cultural and commercial metropolis and one of China's most important cities, boasting many historical sites, museums, temples and Ming Tombs which are on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The city is also home to a number of domestic and multinational firms and will play host to the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics.

Fairmont Nanjing expands the company's growing presence in Asia, joining sister hotels in China including Fairmont Beijing, Fairmont Peace Hotel, Shanghai; Fairmont Yangcheng Lake, Kunshan; Fairmont Haitang Bay Resort, Sanya (2013) as well as Fairmont Singapore and Fairmont Makati, Manila, Philippines (2012).

Very nice! Another Fairmont to add to my list when I get to China!

I wonder of the overall branding strategy with Swissotel and Raffles and whether Fairmont is to be the "lead" brand. This poster would naturally think Raffles would be in some ways more of the brand to emphasize given it's deep Asian roots but there must be very good reasons for stressing the Fairmont brand instead.

Not that it really matters of course just just interesting to me to watch the brand(s) continue to grow and reach a wider audience.

In a related vein:

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate+News/Fairmont+eyes+Asia+growth+as+Africa+investments+sl ow/-/539550/1122728/-/ax4gc8z/-/

In 2005, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts moved into Africa to manage three properties in Kenya acquired by Kingdom Investment and Kuwait based IFA.

The acquisitions were the company’s launch pad into the region as it looked to Africa and the Middle East for growth.

Fairmont manages the Norfolk, Mount Kenya Safari Club and Mara Safari in Kenya as well as three properties in Cairo and two in South Africa.

It is looking to grow its portfolio even further. The property it was managing in Zanzibar was shut down last year following a fire and the owners are yet to re-open it.

But lack of investments by developers in new units has curtailed the group’s expansion in the region.

I wonder of the overall branding strategy with Swissotel and Raffles and whether Fairmont is to be the "lead" brand. This poster would naturally think Raffles would be in some ways more of the brand to emphasize given it's deep Asian roots but there must be very good reasons for stressing the Fairmont brand instead.

Not that it really matters of course just just interesting to me to watch the brand(s) continue to grow and reach a wider audience.

Perhaps this is a move to consolidate all the brands under one banner at some point in the future. As Fairmont currently has a larger presence across the globe? Much like Frequent Flyer programmes, people often look at the size of brands and their coverage before picking up a program to stick with...perhaps this will make Fairmont more competitive...

I wonder of the overall branding strategy with Swissotel and Raffles and whether Fairmont is to be the "lead" brand. This poster would naturally think Raffles would be in some ways more of the brand to emphasize given it's deep Asian roots but there must be very good reasons for stressing the Fairmont brand instead.

Not that it really matters of course just just interesting to me to watch the brand(s) continue to grow and reach a wider audience.

Raffles properties are intended to be more intimate and have a residential feel. Most of their hotels have less than 200 rooms with Dubai and Makkah being the only exceptions. When looking at the list of hotels in development on their website, that trend will continue. And although a few of their properties have some meeting space, the Raffles brand doesn't aggressively target the group market.

With 371 rooms and 2,500 sq m of meeting space the project in Nanjing will be quite similar to other Fairmonts.