Hilton might be the first to open along the bay, but it will definitely not be the only one. Its international competitors, Shangri-La, Kempinski, Sofitel, Fairmont, Grand Hyatt and InterContinental, are eager for their slice of the pie.
Hainan is to become a totally duty-free shopping island.
"There will be 25 five-star and two seven-star hotels in Haitang Bay in 10 years. Think about it: In all of Sanya there are only 24 five-star hotels at the moment," said Chen Minjian, deputy director of Sanya Tourism Industry Development Bureau. "Right now, 15 of these 27 hotels are under construction or being opened."
"That's why Hilton introduced both Conrad and Doubletree brands in a bid to cater for different guest groups. Future competition will be fierce," said Gerd Knaust, general manager of Conrad and Doubletree Sanya Haitang Bay.
According to Knaust, Doubletree is aimed at families and tourist groups while Conrad is what businessman look for during their work breaks. The risk is less when both types of guests are taken good care of.
Rather than worrying about the competition between first-tier hoteliers, Sanya Changdao Tourism Ltd's Vice-General Manager Feng Zhigang is happy about the scale of Haitang Bay's "hotel community".
"The bigger we are, the more guests we'll have," said Feng, who has just signed off two hotel properties with Starwood's Sheraton and Luxury Collection brands. "Tourists will come to us if we have all the best branded hotels available in one bay."Source