As the first region in China to open to foreign investment in the 1970's, Shenzhen has long enjoyed a special degree of economic independence in China. Now with its neighboring cities also burgeoning, Shenzhen is witnessing a second spurt of growth, as new hotels and businesses flock to the city.

Brian Connelly is the General Manager of InterContinental Shenzhen and he started his career in hospitality nearly 30 years ago in the United States and moved to Asia in 1997. He has held senior management positions with hotels managed by Hilton International and ITT Sheraton Corporation. Prior to joining InterContinental Shenzhen, Connelly was the General Manager at Oakwood Premier Coex Center in Seoul, the only five-star boutique serviced apartment and hotel in the city.

Will theme cultural characteristics become the essential brand of InterContinental Shenzhen?
InterContinental Shenzhen is our company's first thematic hotel. Our aim is to bring new and authentic experiences to our guests and our Spanish concepts will help us do just that.

In the hotel industry, most hoteliers strongly believe in employee training, please elaborate on your philosophy behind staff training and development.
We are committed to be the city's most preferred employer by offering our associates an opportunity to learn, serve and live well. Our working philosophy revolves around delivering exceptional experiences every time to our guests and we do this by inculcating the values of trust, integrity, respect, working as one team and service to our associates. Opportunities also abound for us to be the most preferred luxury business hotel in Shenzhen. 2007 is designated as “Year of Spain” in China and we look forward to engaging our associates, guests and local community with a comprehensive array of social events”.

IHG now manages two OCT hotels in the same region. After the opening of InterContinental Shenzhen, it will share the client group with the Crowne Plaza Shenzhen. How are you planning to position these hotels?
Our brands are distinctive and the guests we serve are different. However, as Crowne Plaza is the established brand here, we acknowledge that their top 5% may be curious about us.

In terms of positioning, the InterContinental brand is prestigious and truly global offering luxurious levels of comfort, services and amenities, and our guests are looking for new and authentic experiences. InterContinental Shenzhen is China's first luxury business hotel inspired by themes of Spain. We will own the most innovative and exciting lifestyle events in the city, and our services and facilities are already superlatives in the market. We desire to provide for the top 5% of visitors to Shenzhen; an accompaniment to luxury travel that is long overdue.

With the approach of the opening of InterContinental Shenzhen, how are you planning to structure your team?
After the official opening of our hotel, about 1100 employees will be needed, but the trial operation at the end of this year may need 700 employees. Our management staff is a united team formed by many professionals from different countries. We are all doing our best and cooperating well in our efforts.