Don’t look now, but Guangzhou is about to buy a piece of Thailand. Or at least, the Garden Hotel is.
With much talk focused on international brand names coming into the capital city’s market, especially the Shangri-La, which opens at the end of the year, the 1028-room giant on Huanshi Dong Lu has been quietly transforming itself over the past year. It is now part of a hotel management group called LNH Hospitality, with interests across the country and an expatriate senior management team. And it is undoubtedly upgrading itself at a much quicker pace than its rivals.
No further evidence is needed of this than the hotel’s plans for its fourth floor. Basically, the entire floor is being turned into a “wellness center”, which includes a pool, an outdoor “garden-like” seating area, a café/bar for health food, a gym, and, of course, a spa. But not any old spa: the Angsana Spa, from Thailand.
Part of the famed Banyan Tree group, the Angsana spa will be Guangzhou’s most luxurious by a long shot when it opens in September. Designed for the “outgoing spa enthusiast” who believes in “living life to the fullest”, the Angsana brand is unabashedly aimed at a younger, hipper market. “This suits us fine,” says general manager William Lin, adding the obvious disclaimer that the hotel’s guests are mostly frequently traveling, young, businesspeople.
The arrival of the Angsana – only its 13th spa worldwide – comes not a moment too soon. Shangri-La is staking a lot on being that much better than anything currently in the market when it opens out near the Pazhou exhibition center, and its signature CHI spa is one of the Hong Kong-based group’s crown jewels. The Garden is showing courage – and foresight – by getting into the game now rather than later.
Garden Hotel 花园酒店
368 Huanshi Dong Lu 环市东路368号
(86-20) 8333 8989
www.thegardenhotel.com.cn
