NANNING, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Global hospitality giant Hilton is expanding its presence in China at a fast clip, leveraging its niche brands to cater to the country's growing and diverse travel demands.

 

Hilton Garden Inn, the upscale focused service brand of Hilton, marked a milestone development in the Greater China region with the opening of its 100th hotel in the region on Thursday.

 

The new hotel is located in Beihai, a coastal city and tourism hub in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. China's first Hilton Garden Inn, located in the southern Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen, opened in 2014.

 

"The opening of Hilton Garden Inn Beihai Jiafu signifies not only a testament to the rapid growth of our brand, but also the strong demonstration of our long-term commitment to the Chinese market," said Qian Jin, president of Hilton Greater China and Mongolia.

 

In recent years, the U.S.-based group has seen over 100 hotels open each year in China, its largest overseas market, maintaining this development pace even during the pandemic, according to Qian.

 

"Our pace is driven by the demand from investors and is also a result of China's own construction speed," he noted.

 

Since the opening of their first Chinese mainland hotel in Shanghai in 1988, Hilton had opened hotels in almost 250 destinations across China by the end of September, offering a rich mix of hospitality choices to meet the evolving needs of travelers.

 

The young generation and middle class have emerged as key drivers of growth in the hospitality market. A report by Hilton showed that in China, up to 98 percent of the new generation of travelers actively engage in the planning process for family vacations.

 

Meanwhile, Chinese families consider travel to be closely connected to their cultural identity, with 67 percent of parents prioritizing destinations that have a strong cultural heritage and reflect cultural traditions and values, the report observed.

 

Qian said a new version of Hilton Garden Inn will hit the Chinese market in the first quarter of 2025.

 

"We've noticed Chinese young travelers' preference for slow-paced travel and exploring nearby destinations," said Li Xianfeng, vice president of Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Greater China and Mongolia. "In the new version of our hotel, we will focus on meeting the demands of the new generation of travelers for a high-quality lifestyle."

 

In November, Hilton signed an agreement with property developer in northwest China's Shaanxi Province to introduce its luxury brand LXR Hotels & Resorts into the Chinese market. The group will introduce more brands into China in the coming years, according to Qian.

 

In the first three quarters of 2024, China reported about 4.237 billion domestic trips, representing a year-on-year increase of 15.3 percent. The total expenditure of domestic tourists on their trips amounted to about 4.35 trillion yuan (about 605.2 billion U.S. dollars), up 17.9 percent year on year.

 

"In our recently completed 2025 budget, we predict that China's overall economy will continue to improve. With the support of favorable policies, we are confident and look forward to a promising year ahead and celebrating more milestones in the future," Qian said.