“Life is but a dream—how much joy can one find?” More and more people are dreaming of finding a sanctuary on earth to cleanse body and soul, hoping to discover a higher meaning of life through travel—“returning to nature.” They seek to break free from the hustle and bustle of city life and enjoy physical and mental release.
On the afternoon of December 3, the “2019 China High-end Scene Experience Hotel Trend Report Release Conference,” jointly initiated by Mafengwo Travel, China Search, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Chain School, Pinchain Travel, 6renyou Travel Network, and Meihao Hotel Group, was held at the Elegance·Huqin Pavilion Hotel in Suzhou.
Industry leaders from authoritative organizations in China’s tourism and hotel sectors, heads of ten well-known OTAs (online travel platforms) and travel agencies, dozens of travel and hotel influencers, and nearly 70 vertical media outlets in the fields of tourism, hotels, and fashion attended or covered the event.
The 2019 China High-end Scene Experience Hotel Trend Report primarily shares development data from the hotel industry over the past year and provides an in-depth analysis of future trends, business models, and product-service differentiation within the scene experience hotel sector.
The report shows that hotels are increasingly enhancing user stickiness through membership programs, services, and self-media. Leisure travel is set to become a future trend, while wellness travel has emerged as a new highlight in the industry. For most post-90s travelers, going on a trip is not just a simple journey but also an important way to improve themselves and understand local culture.
“Upgrading in the New Era”
In recent years, with the rise of new high-end hotel brands, culture, themes, and light luxury have become key elements. Domestically, new high-end hotel chains represented by Meihao Elegance have emerged as fresh forces in the market.
The “Elegance” series, meticulously crafted by Meihao Hotel Group over twenty years, is the group’s premium brand, benchmarking against international five-star luxury hotel groups such as Starwood, InterContinental, Marriott, and Hyatt.
Currently, Elegance Hotels have opened five locations: at West Lake in Hangzhou, Mengxi Mountain Villa in Hangzhou, Xietang Old Street in Suzhou, Xitang in Jiashan, and the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi’an. In cities like Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Xi’an, they integrate local cultural characteristics—not only situating the hotels near historical landmarks but also incorporating local craftsmanship and cultural elements. By 2022, Elegance Hotels are expected to expand to 70 locations.
At the launch event, Meihao Group also unveiled the “Hotel Industry Tasting Officers Nationwide Recruitment Plan” and the “Elegance Hotel Cross-Scene Experience Plan.” The company is investing heavily to recruit seasoned users and influencers of high-end hotels nationwide to serve as tasting officers, providing insights for further improving high-end hotel products and services. During this event, Elegance Hotels introduced three major butler-style service standards for the first time: Wellness Consultant, Travel Angel, and Business Assistant.
Mr. Gong Zhaoqing, founder of the Meihao Hotel brand and a keynote speaker at this professional industry forum, said: “Persistence is the core quality of a company’s efforts to explore and develop. Therefore, Meihao is committed to laying a solid foundation for 30 years, unwavering for 100 years. We aim to create hotels with warmth and quality.”
Mr. Gong stated that quality is the hardware, while warmth is culture and connotation. What Meihao strives to do is to bring Chinese culture and national brands to the world stage through the medium of hotels. He hopes that through the efforts of the Meihao team, foreign enterprises will one day join national-brand hotels, and that when people mention Meihao Hotels internationally, foreigners will give a sincere thumbs-up to Chinese hotel brands.
At the conference, Ms. Guo Huizhen, Senior Assistant to the Chairman of Shanghai Meihao Hotel Management Co., Ltd., also disclosed the development strategy of the Elegance brand to the public for the first time.
She explained that as the premium brand of Meihao Hotel Group, Elegance is not a single type of hotel but a differentiated product integrating multiple elements such as wellness, travel, and business. The launch of Elegance products is based both on an upgraded management and positioning strategy and the needs of mass tourism + wellness + leisure lifestyle.
As Suzhou’s first wellness resort hotel, Elegance·Huqin Pavilion aims to bring guests holistic health and joy for the body, mind, and spirit. It integrates wellness, travel, and business, offering a deep cross-scene local experience. Set against the backdrop of Jinji Lake with views inspired by Suzhou gardens, it occupies a 10,000-square-meter space in the 5A-level scenic Xietang Old Street. Invested by Meihao Hotel Group with 100 million RMB and crafted over three years, it is a masterpiece of dedication.
Here you can find iconic representations of traditional Suzhou culture—elegant Suzhou-style gardens, exquisite Su embroidery artworks, and even a hotel stage dedicated to Suzhou Pingtan performances. It is the best place to experience the full breadth of Suzhou’s charm.
The Brand Story of Meihao Elegance Hotels
In March 2017, a dark horse in China’s hotel industry—“Meihao Hotel Group”—launched its high-end wellness resort hotel brand “Meihao Elegance.” The first Elegance Hotel—the Hangzhou West Lake branch—was born. Amidst ever-changing scenery and immersive nature experiences, it reflects the philosophy of Mr. Gong Zhaoqing, founder of Meihao Hotel Group: A hotel is merely a vessel; its deeper essence is to create a certain lifestyle attitude for guests.
The name of Meihao Hotel Group comes from the eight characters “Beautiful China, Proud Chinese.” Before founding the brand, Mr. Gong Zhaoqing visited many hotels and found that the attitude of hotel staff often conveyed a lack of respect toward Chinese guests compared to foreigners, let alone other behaviors. Motivated by the desire to restore respect, Mr. Gong resolved to build his own hotel where Chinese guests would feel respected. He wanted Chinese people to find a sense of national pride here and enjoy the service and respect they deserve.
With the brand’s growing influence and market recognition, and carrying forward Mr. Gong Zhaoqing’s determination to “do great things in small ways,” Meihao Hotels will continue to expand into countries such as Thailand, Singapore, Japan, and the United States in 2019. It will showcase the strength and responsibility of Chinese brands on the world stage and better serve Chinese travelers.