Hotel chief exec sees more room for growth

[photopress:andy_Coslett.jpg,full,alignright]InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms, recently opened a new outlet in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province. Two years ago, the hotel giant signed a deal with Chengdu Travel and Exhibition Group to manage six hotels in Chengdu and Jiuzhaigou in the southwestern province. It plans to have 125 hotels in China by the end of the year.

Andy Cosslett, chief executive of IHG and seen in our illustration, said: ‘There is an enormous opportunity for us to grow here.We’re well spread out, and we have enough talent. Our strategy is to develop on that basis and grow faster than in the past.

‘Obviously west China is going to expand very quickly.’

When asked what he thought were the problems of opening a hotel he said, ‘I think the beginning is difficult because people don’t know who you are and in China it is very important that you have a history and a record of success. You need to be seen as a company that has endurance and stamina and is also committed to investment.

‘The biggest challenge is probably the people. Finding people is easy. Finding the right people is harder.

‘Most of our senior managers are Chinese. All the way through it is really a Chinese business, which helps.’
Source: English People’s Daily Online