Carlson Hotels Worldwide Wants To Double China Portfolio

Carlson Hotels Worldwide – Asia Pacific has inked a strategic partnership with the Sunshine100 Group, one of China's top property development firms, which will see the company more than double the size of its current hotel portfolio in China.

The partnership, which was announced in Beijing by Martin Rinck, president and managing director, Carlson Hotels Worldwide – Asia Pacific and Yi Xiaodi, chairman and president of the Sunshine100 Real Estate Group, will focus on expanding the presence of Carlson's Radisson, Park Plaza and Park Inn brands across China. The Sunshine100 Group plans to build at least 10 hotels which will be managed by Carlson Hotels Worldwide, with target cities including Tianjin, Chongqing, Shenyang, Yantai, Changsha, Nanning, Liuzhou and Guilin.

In October 2007, Carlson Hotels Worldwide – Asia Pacific announced its first major partnership in the region with Lotus Hotel Investment Fund, a US$1 billion private equity fund established to target hotel development opportunities in high-growth markets including China, India, Thailand and Vietnam. Carlson and Lotus are currently in the final stages of identifying the first hotel projects to be developed by Lotus and managed by Carlson.

Carlson Hotels Worldwide – Asia Pacific has already more than doubled its presence in China over the last three years and now manages nine hotels, including The Regent Beijing and The Regent Shanghai. A further five Carlson-managed hotels are currently under development in China, not including the properties which will be built by Sunshine100. Carlson also manages the largest portfolio of hotels of any international hotel group operating in India and is continuing to expand its presence in other key markets.

Singapore-based Carlson Hotels Worldwide – Asia Pacific is the regional headquarters for Carlson Hotels Worldwide in the Asia-Pacific region and is supported by reservations, sales and development offices in Tokyo, Shanghai, New Delhi and Sydney.

The Sunshine100 group, established in 1992, is one of the largest real estate groups in China. In 2000, the company successfully developed its Sunshine100 group international apartment/condominium "Sunshine100 group" brand in Beijing. Currently, the company has established itself as a successful start-up in 20 different programs across China's 15 largest cities.