Shanghai International Hospitality Design and Supplies Expo recently took place in the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC) in Pudong, Shanghai. Shimao Star Hotels Group (hereafter referred to as “Shimao Star”) participated in the event and launched its all-new hotel brand – ETHOS (the Chinese name “Fan Xiang“). Purposely designed for Chinese millennials, ETHOS hotel offers a blend of contemporary culture and Chinese legacy with a view to igniting millennials’ imagination and their explosive creativity. The brand is a response to Chinese millennials’ sense of identity as a generation which sees themselves as born to be proud and strives to redefine Chinese heritage.
At the press conference, Tyrone Tang, Vice President of Shimao Group, Chairman & CEO of Shanghai Shimao Hotel Management Company, CEO of Shimao Star Hotels Group said: “As the primary force driving consumption in the Chinese tourism market, the millennial generation has always been an important customer segment for us. Since the collaboration between Shimao Group and Starwood Capital Group (SCG), innovative upgrades have been continually practiced to our existing 6 hotel brands. Now the launch of the all-new brand ETHOS marks the first hotel brand that Starwood Capital co-created with a Chinese company and designed for a Chinese demographic group. Drawing upon the extensive expertise from both parties in hotel development, brand operation and asset management, we will bring a vibrant lifestyle experience to China’s millennials, which resonates with their pride in being Chinese, and opens up a new direction among Chinese hotels.”
The New China Pride
The Chinese name of the brand is “Fan Xiang“. “Fan” in Chinese stands for everything in its totality, and also represents the secular, as well as reflecting Chinese millennials’ determined and out-of-the-ordinary outlook on life. Meanwhile, “Xiang” encompasses diversity and represents all forms of change. The English name ETHOS is derived from Greek, and refers to the particular character or spirit of a culture or time period. Here, it is used to express the unique disposition of Chinese millennials and their sense of national pride, as well as their refusal to settle for the status quo. As an upper-mid tier lifestyle brand that Shimao Star has tailored to China’s millennial travellers, ETHOS is well-adapted to benefit from the rise of China and the nation’s rapid development, as well as from the appeal that Chinese culture holds for Chinese millennials who are proud of their heritage as well as modern innovations. As such, the brand will satisfy the demand of millennial travellers, and deepen the world’s understanding of China’s new culture along with the brand’s expansion and growth.
Significantly, the new China pride is fully evident throughout the design and construction of ETHOS hotels, during which preference was given to high-quality and original Chinese products and designs. Also, in cooperation with many outstanding independent Chinese brands, ETHOS Hotel develops customized products that better suit the lifestyle and inclinations of Chinese millennial travellers. More than just a slogan, “Made-in-China” has truly become eccentric to the brand experience.
ETHOS is expected to launch in Xiamen and Wuhan first, with the world’s first ETHOS Hotel opening in the fourth quarter of 2019. Shimao Star Hotels Group will also strive to gradually promote the ETHOS hotel toChina’s first- and second-tier cities.
