Following the one millionth Chinese visitor arrival into Australia milestone, AccorHotels is at the forefront of maximising the potential of the Chinese market with its newly enhanced and rebranded ‘Optimum Service Standards’ program Hao Ke Ya Gao.
AccorHotels was the first hotel group in Australia to launch such a pioneering initiative in 2011 specifically catering to the needs of Chinese inbound travellers, and now has over 50 hotels accredited to the program.
In a new partnership with the independent and globally recognised China Ready & Accredited certification organisation, AccorHotels’ hotel teams receive vital training and greater cultural understanding of Chinese travellers’ service expectations, preferences and sensitivities. AccorHotels Australia is the first global accommodation provider to receive accreditation with China Ready & Accredited.
Hao Ke Ya Gao encompasses translated welcome kits and maps in Mandarin, UnionPay, Chinese newspapers, television channels, electrical adaptors, menu items and teas, as well as twin room configurations and internet access with a simplified Chinese character map.
Simon McGrath, Chief Operating Officer AccorHotels Pacific, said “To maintain our above market share of the multi-billion dollar Chinese segment, our highly successful and refreshed Hao Ke Ya Gao program will see continued investment in 2016.
“Pleasingly, the trend of strong inbound growth from Greater China continues, now surpassing one million visitors, and as a result we have seen a healthy increase in room nights, up by 12.9 per cent for year ending Dec 2015, versus 2014. One in eight Chinese travellers stay with us an average of 3.5 nights and that is across both major cities and regional areas.
“While group bookings are still the core of our business, we’re keeping close to China’s new breed of middle class traveller who is seeking individual tourism experiences outside of the traditional tier one cities and are venturing to provincial and coastal parts of the country.”
“We have already seen the positive impact that our partnership with China Ready & Accredited has had on our hotels, with staff absorbing a deeper understanding of the service expectations and cultural differences of Chinese guests. The China Ready & Accredited endorsement translates into a huge degree of trust and comfort for Chinese travellers, and its simple things such as having UnionPay available in our hotels which reinforces that we are ready to welcome them and provide the best possible service,” Mr McGrath said.
The Chinese meaning for ‘Hao Ke’ is hospitable, friendly or to treat guests well and ‘Ya Gao’ refers to AccorHotels. The concept of the new logo, a bold brush stroke was used to depict the roof of a house. This carries the message to the Chinese that warmth and comfort, like home, can be experienced at any AccorHotels property around the world. At the same time, the ‘roof’ element is also Chinese the character “⼈人” for people which means AccorHotels offers Chinese hospitality and service and is welcoming to guests.
The latest hotel accredited to the AccorHotels Hao Ke Ya Gao program is Mercure Kangaroo Island Lodge, which has translated its local website www.kilodge.com.au into Mandarin. A full list of accredited hotels and special Chinese New Year accommodation offers, visit www.accorhotels.com/chinaoss
China Ready & Accredited signifies international quality service, cultural understanding, internationally benchmarked business practices and assures Chinese travellers of safe, worry-free travel, products and experiences. For more about China Ready & Accredited, visit www.chinareadyandaccredited.com
