Hyatt is heading to China; plans 11 new properties in China

by Melanie Nayer on

Hyatt Hotels Corporation is expanding across the Pacific, announcing plans to open 11 new Hyatt-branded hotels in emerging cities and resort destinations in China. The addition of these hotels means Hyatt has 22 properties under development in China across all of its full service brands, including Andaz.

The 11 new Hyatt hotels announced are:

  • Park Hyatt Changbaishan
  • Hyatt Regency Changbaishan
  • Hyatt Regency Changchun
  • Grand Hyatt Dalian
  • Hyatt Regency Guiyang
  • Hyatt Regency Jinan
  • Hyatt Regency Qingdao Grand
  • Hyatt Sanya Haitang Bay
  • Grand Hyatt Shenyang
  • Hyatt Regency Tianjin East
  • Hyatt Regency Wenzhou

Hyatt previously announced additional properties under development in Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Ningbo, Sanya Sunny Bay, Suzhou, Wuxi, and Xuzhou.

Four properties are slated to open in 2011:Park Hyatt Ningbo, a 253-room property, will be located on Dongqian Lake, one of the most scenic destinations in eastern China. About two hours drive from Shanghai, the hotel will feature low-rise buildings, private villas with spa and recreational facilities, meeting and banquet space and specialty restaurants.

Hyatt Regency Jinan, a 350-room property, will be part of the Wanda Plaza development, located in Shizhong District, one of the two central urban districts in Jinan. The hotel will offer meeting facilities, a spa and fitness center, and food and beverage outlets.

Hyatt Regency Guiyang, a 364-room property, will form part of the planned Guiyang International Conference and Exhibition Center located within the Jin-Yang New District of Guiyang, the economic and commercial hub of the Guizhou providence in Southwest China. Designed for the business traveler, the hotel will be adjacent to government offices and prime office and commercial space. Amenities will include five food and beverage options, meeting and residential style function space, ballroom, indoor pool, fitness center and spa.

Hyatt Regency Qingdao, a 450-room property, will be part of a high-end mixed-use development located on the Western end of Old Stone Beach in the Laoshan District of Qingdao, which is in Eastern China. The hotel, tailored to both business and leisure travelers, will enjoy unique ocean views and immediate beach access and will also provide a full range of amenities, including four restaurants and bars, multi-functional meeting space, indoor swimming pool, fitness center and spa.

The additional Hyatt hotels in China will be open in 2012.

Photo of the Day (10.10.10)

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Spontaneity and travel go hand-in-hand. Those surprising moments, when we let down our guard and something unexpected happens, is what travel is all about, right? Today’s photo, from Flickr user Gus NYC, looks to me like one of those spontaneous moments. A brilliant red wall. A guard caught in a moment of repose. A photographer who’s cleverly framed the shot so it’s all pushed oddly to the right. It’s a strange subject for a photo, but it nevertheless manages to leave the viewer wanting more.

Have any great travel photos you’d like to share with the world? Why not add them to our Gadling group on Flickr? We might just pick one of yours as our Photo of the Day.

Photo of the Day (10.5.10)

by Stephen Greenwood on
Contrary to what it may look like, today’s Photo of the Day is not from the set of Indiana Jones 5. Welcome to the Karakoram; one of the greatest and most sparsely inhabited mountain ranges in the world.

Apart from being home to K2, the Karakoram is most well known for hosting the highest international paved road in the world – the Karakoram Highway. Completed in 1986, the 1,300km road connects Kashgar in the Xinjiang region of China with Pakistan’s modern capital, Islamabad. This dramatic shot (don’t worry, this isn’t the highway) was captured by Flickr user madang86 over the Hunza River near Passu, Pakistan. It certainly gives a new meaning to the phrase “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it”.

Have you risked life & limb to capture a great photo on your travels? We can’t wait to see it. Share it on our Flickr Pool and it could be our next Photo of the Day.

China Airlines fined for price fixing

by Sean McLachlan on

China Airlines is the latest carrier to get fined for price-fixing air cargo rates. The Taiwan-based airline plead guilty and now faces a $40 million fine. Northwest Airlines has also plead guilty.

A total of 18 airlines have been snared by the Department of Justice in an ongoing investigation. Eight airline executives have also been charged. The Department of Justice has imposed a total of $1.6 billion in fines and given four executives jail time for a conspiracy that reaches back to early 2000. China Airlines was conspiring with other airlines to fix cargo rates to and from the United States, a violation of antitrust laws. Rates are supposed to be subject to the free market, but the airlines secretly agreed to set a rate in order to maximize profits.

For a complete list of the airlines and executives involved, click here.

First images: Langham Place, Beijing Capital Airport hotel

by Melanie Nayer on

Asia is fast becoming a hotbed for hotel growth. From the Ritz-Carlton’s new hotel in Shanghai to the W’s entrance into Hong Kong, hotel companies aren’t shying away from Asia’s tourism growth potential. Now, the Langham hotel group is adding to its China collection.

The second Langham hotel to open in Asia this year, the Langham Place, Beijing Capital Airport brings new meaning to the “airport hotel.”

Opened on August 23, the hotel had one solid mission: to revolutionize the way we see airport hotels. Now, guests flying into Beijing who need a place to spend the night before boarding an early morning flight, or those who just want to experience something a little out of the ordinary, will only have to go as far as Terminal 3 at Beijing Capital Airport.

The hotel will feature DJ’s in the lobby, loft-style rooms and a 24-hour high-tech lounge for work and play. The hotel features a full service spa and indoor pool, available to hotel guests and open for bookings for those with long layovers. For those guests needing a little nourishment, step into one of the hotel’s four restaurants including Fuel, Ming Court or The Place, an interactive all day dining restaurant.