Shanghai is expanding with more opportunities for meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions. As general manager of the Grand Mercure Baolong Hotel, Anthony Mirza is responsible for taking the newly re-branded hotel and ushering in a renewed destination for meeting and travel planners in China's cosmopolitan center.

If meeting planners are looking at a venue for their next conference, why should they choose your city and why should they choose your hotel?
We just completed a multi-million dollar renovation and re-construction of parts of the hotel. The facilities are first class with state of the art technology. The proximity of the hotel to downtown makes us a choice hotel for events and conferences. Our team is hand-picked and service oriented suited for business and leisure travelers. We provide a five-star accommodations, comfort and service with value added service and rate.

How do you feel your hotel has impacted the hospitality sector in your city?
Prior to renovating and re-branding the hotel to Grand Mercure Baolong Hotel, the Baolong Hotel was a well known and successful hotel in the Shanghai scene. We carry this tradition with a bolder and modernized look in order to maintain that success moving forward.

What are some challenges to running a hotel in your city?
When you run a five-star hotel, you look for top notch employees with the right ingredients to join your team. That can sometimes be a challenge as the hospitality sector in Shanghai has become very competitive in recruiting good talent.

Is there still room for more high-class hotels in your city?
At the moment supply is slowly exceeding demand. I trust that this trend will be corrected soon where both are balanced. Studies show that there is room for growth in Shanghai, how it plays out is yet to be seen.

How do you see domestic and foreign guest numbers changing in the coming year?
With the upcoming Summer Olympics and World Expo in Shanghai, things look very positive. Coupled with an improved standard of living and increased disposal income the domestic travel market with certainly be on the upswing. Inbound travel will continue to rise due to the development and marketing of many existing and new destinations within China including the ever expanding Shanghai, Beijing and other coastal cities.

What type of support are you receiving from local government and tourism boards?
There are many communications and meetings from local agencies and the tourism board addressing the needs to promote and to market Shanghai as not only a financial city but rather a tourist destination with many fun things to do and see. This eventually will translate into more inbound travel and improved occupancies.

What sort of corporate social responsibility initiatives have you undertaken to manage graft, health, and safety?
We are engaged in a multitude of programs addressing the need for better education on safety hazards and prevention, promote good hygiene, learning about and handling chemicals, fire safety and prevention, fire fighting, first-aid training and energy conservation.

How is your hotel integrating email and Web marketing to target MICE bookers?
Well for a start, we are maximizing our exposure in all major publications targeting the MICE bookers. We make use of technology and it's fullest potential to reach our target audience. We attend several events per year where contacts are established. We have a dedicated team to service this sector and cater to our readers and MICE bookers. We are very bullish on this market and always look to forge new partnerships. We appreciate and thank everyone for their support in the past look forward to a renewed relationship in the future.

(average: 3.50 out of 5)

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