Hilton expands in Chinese hotel market

Hilton and Shimao Group Holdings have signed an agreement to launch four luxury hotels in China: Waldorf Astoria Shenzhen, Conrad Shanghai, Conrad Wuhan and Conrad Zhuhai. When they open, the hotels will mark the entry of Hilton’s iconic luxury brands, Waldorf Astoria and Conrad, in the four cities, while Conrad Shanghai takes the spotlight as the largest Conrad hotel in Asia to open, with more than 700 rooms.

Since the signing of their first hotel in 2011, the partnership has seen Hilton and Shimao Group work together to launch nine commercially successful hotels, including Hilton Wuhan Riverside and Hilton Yantai, with another Hilton hotel due to open later this year.

Alan Watts, president, Asia Pacific, Hilton, said, “As an organization that has been at the forefront of guest innovation in the travel industry for over a century, Hilton has a wealth of experience in anticipating future trends that will impact travel. Today’s signing with our partners at Shimao