Asian hospitality group Dusit International continues to promote its year of expansion by exhibiting at IT&CM China.

Dusit International also intends to emphasize its commitment to the Chinese market by reinforcing its announcement of a joint venture agreement, signed with a local Chinese partner earlier this year.

The agreement created the Dusit Fudu International Hotel Management Company, which will oversee a minimum of 10 hotel developments over the next five years. Cities targeted by the new hotel management company include Shanghai, Kunming, Chengdu, Chongqing, and Hainan.

Currently, Dusit International has planned a presence in Hainan and Qingyuan with its Dusit Thani and Dusit Devarana resort brands, slated to open soon. By 2020, the aggregate number of Dusit-branded hotel rooms in China will number approximately 5,000.

In recent weeks, the company has also added a Beijing Regional Sales Office to its Chinese operations, in addition to its established Shanghai Regional Sales Office. Here, Ms Margaret Zhang was named Regional Director of Sales, Northern China. A PRC national, she previously held the position of Director of Key Accounts for Banyan Tree's Beijing Sales Office and will be responsible for driving outbound sales on behalf of Dusit International from her Beijing base.

Additional efforts made by Dusit International's hotels and resorts to cater to the Chinese traveler range from Chinese-speaking staff, television channels, meals and teas at select resorts to promotional offers with various high-profile Chinese partners including UnionPay, Ping An Bank, and most recently, the world's largest bank, ICBC.

"An event like IT&CM China is great for us as a group, as it is a way to increase brand awareness and meet with a variety of established and potential trade partners," says George Cao, Regional Director of Sales, Dusit International. "We are pleased to participate this year, sharing the news about our expansion plans which include 16 hotels in the pipeline, as well as our focus on the promising emerging market that is China."


Dusit Devarana Hainan, China


Dusit Thani Qingyuan, China