Hoteliers defy latest Chengdu lockdown with vibrant pipeline
With the Chinese government re-enforcing its ‘zero covid’ policy in the southwest city of Chengdu, international hotel chains haven’t been deterred from investing in the area.
Last week, the Beijing administration ordered the municipality’s 21 million people to stay indoors after just 157 new covid infections on 1 September and it’s not clear as yet as to when the restrictions will be lifted.
Destination faith
Although travellers are now banned from entering or leaving Chengdu, hotel developers clearly believe that this will be a short term measure which won’t dent ongoing prospects for the hub city.
According to the TOPHOTELPROJECTS database, at least 58 high end projects are still planned for the metropolis over the coming years, equating to 12,464 rooms.
Upscale and next year dominance
In terms of quality, 35 of these developments, or 60% or the total, fit into the upscale four star category, with the remaining 23 or 40% in the luxury five star segment.
Next year will see the peak of prospective openings, with 25 projects scheduled for completion, equating to 43% of the pipeline. Just nine further sites are planned to open during the rest of this year (16% of the total), while another 13 or 22% will come online in 2024. The remaining 11 developments are either yet to receive a formal launch date or will complete in 2025 and beyond.
Major brands topping the high end hotel developments in Chengdu include Hyatt Hotels Corporation, with six developments comprising three Hyatt Place properties, two Hyatt Regency sites and one Hyatt Centric hotel in progress; IHG Hotels & Resorts marque Hotel Indigo with four projects; and another quartet from Hilton, comprising two Hilton Garden Inns and two Home 2 Suites aparthotels.
Towering luxury
Eminent developments include Rosewood Chengdu, which will bring 180 rooms online in Q1 2026. The upcoming Rosewood Hotels & Resorts site is being created by MG2 Architects – Shanghai, with consultancy provided by Senmo Architecture (3MIX).
The ultra-luxury hotel will occupy the top floors of a new 300 m mixed-use tower in an integrated complex in the city’s central business district. Rosewood Chengdu will feature rooms and suites and the exclusive Manor Club executive lounge will offer additional privacy and privileges for guests. Food and drink options will comprise four restaurants and bars, with recreational facilities including a spa, fitness centre and pool. The Pavilion, Rosewood’s signature, residential-style meeting and function area, will cater for corporate and social events.
Landmark project
Elsewhere in the city, developer Chengdu Huiri Xinghe Real Estate is planning a luxury hotel in Tianfuhui Centre. The Unionsun Plaza-Hotel project is situated in the downtown area right next to the well-known and historic Jin Jiang Hotel.
The landmark project consists of a podium, three residential towers, two office towers, the hotel tower and five levels of basement. It comprises a total construction floor area of approx 522,000 sq m, scheduled for completion in Q3 2024.
The 300 room-hotel features a helipad on the rooftop, an all-day dining restaurant, a specialty restaurant, a Chinese restaurant, bars, etc., in addition to a full range of facilities. KPF Architects is creating the design, with ABconcept overseeing the interiors. The main contractor is China Construction Second Engineering Bureau-Beijing, with Rider Levett Bucknall as consultant.
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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