Bangkok-based hotel owner and operator Minor Hotels is expanding into China following a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Funyard Hotels & Resorts, a core alliance enterprise of Chinese property development company Country Garden Group.
The partnership allows Minor Hotels to seize growing opportunities in China’s leisure travel market by bringing some of its brands including Anantara, Avani, Oaks, Elewana, Tivoli and NH to mainland China, many of them for the first time. With over 200 upscale hotels under management across ten hotel and serviced apartment brands, new partner Funyard brings 20 years of experience in asset and operations management in China. Minor’s global network of hotels and resorts coupled with Funyard’s local expertise puts them in a position to become one of the country’s leading hospitality players.
At the virtual MoU signing ceremony on 20 January 2021, Dillip Rajakarier, CEO of Minor Hotels, said: “China’s hospitality market is extremely competitive, but full of opportunities. We highly value this chance to partner with Funyard Hotels & Resorts to support each other’s global branding strategies.”
Ji Hongjun, President of Funyard Hotels & Resorts, added: “The pandemic is further accelerating the process of the Chinese economy shifting toward the domestic market. This means new opportunities in domestic tourism and hospitality. We and Minor Hotels are both convinced that China’s resort market is full of potential. Funyard Hotels & Resorts has plenty of managerial experience and local resources in the domestic market, while Minor Hotels is an outstanding establishment in the global hotel and resort market. We look forward to working with Minor Hotels to tap into the Chinese resort market and bring new energy to Chinese and even global tourism.”
Like Minor, a number of global hotel groups have been looking to Asia for growth.