Resort To Be Located On Private Coastline#
Even after several years of sustained expansion, first in cities like Beijing and Shanghai then into inland areas, luxury hoteliers show no sign of slowing their China expansion plans. This week, another hotel group, One&Only -- owned by Kerzner International Holdings, which also operates Atlantis Resorts -- announced plans to open its first luxury resort in China on Hainan Island in 2014. Slated for Tufu Bay near Sanya, the upcoming One&Only resort will have 180 rooms and be situated within a 40 acre private coastline peppered with coconut and rosewood trees.
Though it'll be the brand's first China resort, One&Only currently has seven properties in destinations like the Maldives, Mauritius, Dubai, the Bahamas, Mexico and South Africa.
As Sol Kerzner, chairman of Kerzner International, said this week of the new China resort, "Tufu Bay is ideally suited for creating the first One&Only experience in China. The setting is just spectacular and I am very confident the resort will be well received by our many loyal One&Only guests and new guests alike."
Though the main selling point of the upcoming Sanya property will likely be its views of the South China Sea, One&Only plans to outfit the Tufu Bay resort with locally inspired restaurants and a specially outfitted Chinese-style spa.
While the Hainan provincial government has taken great pains to promote the island as an international tourism destination on par with Hawaii or Bali, it's clear that One&Only has its eyes on the home market. Already, the company has indicated that its other global properties have been among its best promotional tools for eventually attracting more inland Chinese tourists to Sanya. As Kerzner International CEO, Alan Leibman, put it, entering the China market is a "logical next fit," as rising Chinese tourism to places like the Maldives has made them aware of the One&Only brand.
