A report on the trend of high-end experiential hotels was released in Suzhou — HowToTrip’s Majestic Hotel aims to be a cross-industry leader in the new era of immersive experiences. ...

On the afternoon of December 3, the “2019 China High-End Experiential Hotel Trend Report Release Conference” was held at the HowToTrip Yaqin Pavilion Hotel in Suzhou. The conference was jointly organized by Mafengwo Travel, 6renyou Travel Network, PinCheng Travel, China Search, the Chain Business School of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, HowToTrip Yaqin Pavilion Hotel, and Sino-US Film Union Media Group. Industry leaders from authoritative organizations in China’s tourism and hotel sectors, heads of ten well-known OTAs (online travel platforms) and travel agencies, and dozens of influencers in the fields of travel and hospitality attended the event. Attendees included: Du Jianwei, Senior Director of the Hotel Business Department at Ctrip Hotels Group; Miao Xuri, Project General Manager of the Accommodation Business Group at Tongcheng Yilong; Chen Yiting, Business Director of the Accommodation Business Group at Tongcheng Yilong; Zhang Libo, East China Regional Head of Tongcheng Yilong’s Hotel & Scenic Spots Division; Yan Wenbin, Senior Business Manager of the Accommodation Business Department at Tongcheng Yilong; Du Lijian, East China Regional Head of Fliggy; Feng Jie, Head of the Domestic Hotel Business Department at Meituan; Peng Bo, Senior Manager of the Brand Advertising Department at Mafengwo Travel; Jia Jianqiang, CEO of 6renyou Travel Network; Ji Ying, Vice Marketing Director of PinCheng Travel; Wang Hanchen, Deputy Director of the Suzhou Tourism Information Center and head of the official WeChat account of the Suzhou Tourism Bureau; Chen Yan, Editor-in-Chief of “Kan Suzhou” under the Suzhou Radio and Television Bureau; Tao Guanqun, Vice President of the Suzhou Daily Tourism Operation Center; Gong Zhaoqing, Chairman of HowToTrip Hotel Group. In addition, nearly 70 vertical media outlets in the fields of tourism, hospitality, and fashion participated in covering the conference.

The conference, themed “Transformation in the Hotel Industry in the New Era of Experiential Scenarios,” focused discussions on the successful cross-industry model of “Yaqin’s Big Health and Wellness,” future development trends in the field of experiential scenario-based hotels, business models, product and service differentiation, and more. It also shared data from the high-end hotel segment over the past year and released the “2019 China High-End Experiential Hotel Trend Report.” At the event, HowToTrip Group announced the “Hotel Industry Tasting Officer Nationwide Recruitment Program” and the “Yaqin Hotel Cross-Industry Experience Program.” Through targeted invitations and in-platform recruitment via Ctrip, influencers and premium users in the hotel and travel sectors were invited to become Hotel Industry Tasting Officers. These officers were offered attractive experience grants to explore the products, services, and unique features of high-end hotels, providing creative and constructive suggestions to help high-end hotels enhance their offerings, optimize services, and improve cross-industry experiences, thereby increasing user loyalty and adding value.

Mr. Gong Zhaoqing, founder of the HowToTrip brand, together with Wang Meng, General Manager of the Marketing Department at Shanghai HowToTrip Hotel Management Co., Ltd., awarded cash prizes of 5,000 yuan and stored-value card rewards of 5,000 yuan each to 22 influencers for their hotel industry experiences. In response to the question of why such substantial investment was made in recruiting tasting officers, Wang Meng stated: “Mr. Gong Zhaoqing believes the industry as a whole needs to progress, and both Yaqin and the hotels under HowToTrip Hotel Group — including HowToTrip, HowToTrip LIZHI, and Meilihow — need sincere feedback and outstanding suggestions. Therefore, the group is willing to contribute to the industry’s advancement. HowToTrip also believes that as long as we continuously pursue higher standards, Chinese national hotel brands will surely gain a voice on the international stage in the future.”

Amid the new wave of consumption upgrading and the release of IP energy, these high-end experiential hotels with new scene-based significance may become the new “social, entertainment, and leisure hubs for young people.” During the development of Yaqin Hotels, Mr. Gong Zhaoqing, founder of the HowToTrip brand, positioned Yaqin Hotels as having the style of high-end homestays, the functionality of business hotels, the added value of high-end wellness services, and the warmth of a family atmosphere. Due to historical reasons, the evolution of traditional Chinese home culture was interrupted after the Republican era, jumping directly from a half-century void into the modern furniture age without going through a process of blending tradition with modernity, let alone forming a corresponding home culture. However, the design of Yaqin Hotels traverses that missed era, recreating the process of cultural and temporal intermingling in the lives of Chinese people.

“Life is but a dream—how much joy can one have?” More and more people dream of finding a pure land on earth to cleanse their body and mind, hoping to experience a higher meaning of life through travel — “returning to nature,” stepping away from the hustle and bustle of the city to enjoy physical and mental liberation. Whether embodying the spiritual essence of the Jiangnan and Gusu regions, or offering wellness vacation spaces hidden within forests, Yaqin Hotels integrate multiple elements to create a high-end, thoughtfully designed, humanistic experiential hotel.

Mr. Gong Zhaoqing, founder of the HowToTrip Hotel brand and a keynote speaker at this industry forum, spoke for the first time about the unique operational models of Yaqin’s wellness, travel, and business butlers: “Persistence is the core quality of a company’s efforts to explore and develop. That’s why HowToTrip is committed to laying a solid foundation for 30 years, unwavering for 100 years. We aim to run hotels with warmth and quality.” At the conference, Ms. Guo Huizhen, Senior Assistant to the Chairman of Shanghai HowToTrip Hotel Management Co., Ltd., also disclosed for the first time the development strategy of the Yaqin brand. She explained that as the premium brand of HowToTrip Hotel Group, Yaqin is not a single type of hotel but a differentiated product integrating elements such as wellness, travel, and business. The launch of Yaqin products is based not only on an upgraded management and positioning strategy but also on the needs of mass tourism + wellness + leisure travel lifestyles. The release of this new product line also represents a new cross-industry product exploration for the industry. To support the roles of travel and business butlers, HowToTrip Hotel Group specifically invested 5 million yuan to purchase six luxury Mercedes-Benz vehicles of various series to serve high-end customers.

In an interview with reporters, Mr. Gong Zhaoqing said that as long as the service is thoughtful and outstanding, customers will definitely be willing to pay for cross-industry offerings. Moreover, the trend of cross-industry integration will surely be the future direction of the industry. Therefore, Yaqin is willing to cultivate the market with time. (Zhang Jingyun)