Country overview: Marriott pips Hilton as China’s most active hotel brand [Infographic]

Hotel Nikko Kaohsiung

The TOPHOTELPROJECTS construction database reveals that Marriott International’s signature brand has more schemes on the way than its perennial rival at Hilton Worldwide.

There are a staggering 1,486 hotel projects and 344,891 additional rooms on the books across the People’s Republic, our researchers have discovered, with the world’s biggest hospitality groups competing vigorously to grow their market share.

Marriott’s making its mark in China

Leading the way in terms of brands is Marriott Hotels & Resorts, whose busy pipeline features 55 schemes with 14,305 keys. This puts the Marriott International flagship just ahead of Hilton Worldwide’s prolific Hilton Hotels & Resorts flag, which has 47 schemes and 12,293 rooms in the works. IHG’s upper-upscale boutique hotel brand, Hotel Indigo, comes in a creditable third, courtesy of its tally of 42 properties with 8,093 keys.

As for the question of which is the most active city, you might be surprised to learn that the usual east coast powerhouses have been usurped by a fast-growing metropolis in western China, namely Chengdu. Famed among tourists as the home of the giant panda, the capital of Sichuan province has 62 projects and 13,709 rooms on its development slate, compared to 58 schemes and 15,128 keys in Shanghai, and 47 properties with 10,370 rooms in Suzhou.

Plenty of development planned in 2022 and 2023

We won’t have to wait long for lots of the hotel schemes we’re talking about to come to fruition either, as the stats suggest 574 projects and 138,836 keys will launch this year, with a further 440 schemes and 97,110 rooms following in 2023. Looking further ahead, 133 properties with 29,735 keys will launch in 2024, while 339 projects and 79,210 rooms have been mooted for 2025 and beyond.

Meanwhile, regular readers will no doubt be aware already that our database focuses on four- and five-star schemes, so we thought it might be interesting to look at the exact categories that these developments are targeting. We can report that 697 projects with 174,944 rooms are aiming for the five-star market, and the rest (789 schemes, 169,947 keys) are geared towards the four-star bracket.

Picking out three of China’s finest hotel schemes

There certainly aren’t many hotel projects around the world that can match the sheer scale and ambition of the under-construction Montigo Resorts, Shanghai. As part of the wider Wintastar Shanghai integrated indoor ski complex, Kop Ltd’s luxury hospitality brand will operate no fewer than four themed hotels – Montigo Luxe, Montigo Hotels, Montigo Residences and Montigo Ice – collectively accounting for around 1,000 keys that are due to open in Q2 2022. Mercurio Design Lab in Singapore and ECADI in Shanghai are working on the architectural design of this eye-catching scheme.

Over in Taiwan, a beautiful island whose political status has long been disputed, Hotel Nikko Kaohsiung is currently being built ahead of launching in Q4 2023. This sleek scheme is being designed by Yasui Architects & Engineers and SED-IA Architecture – Taipei. Upon completion, it’ll feature 260 guestrooms, multiple restaurants and a 21st-floor rooftop bar offering stunning views across the harbour.

In the capital of Hunan province, meanwhile, one of Marriott International’s luxury flags is preparing to debut a 329-key property. Scheduled to throw open its doors in April 2022, JW Marriott Hotel Changsha will boast Chinese and international restaurants, eight event rooms with a total space of 16,694 sq ft, a fitness centre, a swimming pool and a whirlpool. Hunan Provincial Architectural Design Institute is working on the architecture, with Gu Cang Design and HBA – Singapore focusing on the interiors.

Many TOPHOTELNEWS articles draw on exclusive information from the TOPHOTELPROJECTS construction database. This subscription-based product includes details of thousands of hotel projects around the world, along with the key decision-makers behind them. Please note, our data may differ from records held by other organisations. Generally, the database focuses on four- and five-star schemes of significant scale; tracks projects in either the vision, pre-planning, planning, under-construction, pre-opening or newly opened phase; and covers newbuilds, extensions, refurbishments and conversions.

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