By Jiang Jingjing (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-09-22 14:46

North America's leading hotel operator Fairmont Hotels & Resorts plans to bring its luxury brand to Beijing next summer.

The 25-story Fairmont Beijing, in the premier Central Business District location, will feature 235 rooms, restaurants, bars, a multi-purpose theater and a spa.

The announcement comes five months after Fairmont started restoring the Peace Hotel in Shanghai.

All Fairmont locations are aesthetically designed and reflect local culture and cuisine, and guests in Beijing will enjoy the rich culture and history of the capital, said Chris Cahill, president and COO of Fairmont Raffles Hotels International Inc.

The property owner, Thailand-based Reignwood Group, said it has a 20-year management agreement with the hotel operator. The Canadian management team will come to Beijing next month, and recruitment will start in November, said Yu Bin, project pre-opening director of Reignwood.

The construction of the building will be completed by the year-end, and the pre-opening is scheduled for next May, Yu added.

It is the first time that Reignwood has made a foray into the luxury hotel sector, and had talked with almost all the world's leading hotel management companies.

"Fairmont's 100-year experience and consistent high-quality service attracted us," Yu said.

He noted that in 2009, Beijing's hotel sector will experience a short-term downturn after the Olympics climax, and "we believe Fairmont will help us go through the period smoothly. After all, the supply of hotel rooms in Beijing is still not enough", Yu said.

The 100-year-old Fairmont is a leading luxury hotel brand, competing head to head with Ritz-Carlton, Park Hyatt and St Regis. It has 51 hotels in 12 countries, and more than 20 properties are currently being developed.

Peace Hotel Shanghai will open in 2010, and another one in Macao will open in the same year, Cahill said, adding that Hong Kong and South China's Hainan Province will be Fairmont's next destinations.