03 November 2022
IHG partners with SZBA-UCD to Bring Luxury Hotel Brand Regent to Shenzhen Bay Area
Shenzhen, 3 November 2022 — IHG Hotels & Resorts today announced a new partnership with Shenzhen Bay Area Urban Construction and Development Co., Ltd. to develop a new luxury and lifestyle hotel – the Regent Shenzhen Bay. This partnership actively resonates with and augments China’s national strategy to build Shenzhen into an international hub for tourism. The hotel is located in Shenzhen Bay Super Headquarters by Shenzhen Bay. Designed and constructed by the world’s top architecture firm, Zaha Hadid Architects, it will be the tallest Regent upon project completion. The hotel is expected to open in 2028, further enhancing Shenzhen Bay’s position as an exemplary future city that combines a global headquarters cluster, a metropolitan cultural highland, an international communication center, and a world coastal living room.
As an industry-leading international hotel company, IHG is committed to building a business that is "in China, for China". During its 47 years in Greater China and 38 years in mainland markets, IHG has kept in step with China's national strategies and regional development policies and has in recent years prioritized developments in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Shenzhen’s 14th Five-Year Tourism Development Plan has laid out a blueprint to develop the city into a world-class tourist destination of global influence. Specifically, it called for the introduction of leading global hotel brands, to stimulate comprehensive competition in the local tourism industry. IHG has played an active role in contributing to this blueprint with unique services and experiences to meet the changing demand of today’s guests.
Jolyon Bulley, Chief Executive Officer, Greater China and Group Transformation Lead, Luxury & Lifestyle said: “Greater China is the world's fastest growing market for IHG. As the first international hotel company to enter the Chinese market, IHG has witnessed great changes and development in the tourism industry. With the increasing demand for domestic leisure travel and the rapid growth of high-net-worth consumer groups, the newly rebranded Regent will bring a new luxury experience, unique brand imprint, and refreshing visual image to leisure and business travelers.”
Synonymous with timeless modernity, Regent has a brand history for over half a century. Since acquiring a majority stake in Regent Hotels & Resorts in 2018, IHG has combined the genes of new luxury and bold innovation with Regent’s deep heritage and revered legacy, relaunching the brand by evolving it to appeal to the modern luxury traveler. After the acquisition, Regent Shanghai Pudong has been the first Regent hotel to open globally. With the continuous expansion of the domestic tourism industry and the growing demand from high-net-worth consumers, Regent has accelerated its footprint in China including Beijing, Chongqing, Hongkong, and other world-class cities, serving up extraordinary travel experiences.
Daniel Aylmer, Managing Director, IHG Greater China said: “As an initial hub connecting diverse regions of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Shenzhen Bay is a key platform for promoting China's 'dual circulation' strategy. IHG sees bright prospects in Shenzhen. We believe our partnership with Shenzhen Investment Holdings Company will be a significant step to enhance our geographical advantages and pioneer in the Greater Bay area. The addition of the Regent properties will further broaden our local appeal and create a more personalized stay experience for a new generation of travelers.”
Yin Kefei, Deputy General Manager of Shenzhen Investment Holding Company Limited, said that “In accordance with the '14th Five-Year Plan' development strategy, Shenzhen Investment Holding Company Limited will speed up the construction of business standardization, institutionalization, streamlining, systematization and intelligence, and make every effort to set Regent Shenzhen Bay as the highest benchmark of quality and service in the Shenzhen Bay Super Headquarters, Shenzhen City, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
The project is designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, one of the world’s premier firms. Based on the concept of Vertical Urbanism, the architecture investigates future urban space. The architecture connects with the adjacent park and plazas, transforming into a new a new unified public space for the city. The design integrates the city and nature within its central green axis with the transit-orientated development of Shenzhen’s new spine, creating a “superscape” that will become a tower of the future within the Super Headquarters Base. Through the terraced podium design, the north-south green axis blends with the public space of the tower, providing a direct sense of continuity. The design of the tower allows the area to extend upwards, the green axis landscape is harmoniously interwoven with the whole building. The project reflects Zaha Hadid’s design philosophy of investigating future cities, “encouraging exploration rather than looking for a planned and determined destination."
Kent Sun, Chief Development Officer, IHG Greater China said: “The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is a key area for the development of the tourism industry, with a deep historical and cultural heritage and rich tourism resources. From the demand side, the transient takes up 50% of the market; from the supply side, the mature mid- to high-end hotel brand segment is yet to be filled, demonstrating great potential. Currently, IHG has 18 hotels open and over 10 hotels under construction in Shenzhen. In the future, IHG will stick to the national development agenda together with sincere cooperation with owners to refine the deployment of IHG’s brand matrix, build a diversified consumption scene, and empower the development of the leisure market in lower-tier cities.”
This project will be situated in the core area of Shenzhen Bay Super Headquarter. The hotel, as the tallest Regent in the world, will dominate the metropolitan skyline and provides 175 rooms in 3 distinctive room types, delivering an unparalleled stay experience from one of the world's most legendary luxury brands. The presence of the Regent brand will expand consumers’ options for vacation and residency and bolster IHG’s brand portfolio in the region, catering to consumers’ differentiated needs and empowering Shenzhen to become a world-class tourism destination.
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