Second Renaissance Hotel planned for Shanghai

A second Renaissance hotel will open in Shanghai in 2004 as a result of a management agreement signed between Marriott International and Shanghai Chunda Hotel Co., Ltd. When opened, it will be Marriott's sixth Renaissance-branded hotel in China and second in Shanghai.

The 375-room Renaissance Shanghai Pudong Hotel will be located on the southeastern fringe of the Pudong central business district. Within a five-minute drive by car are the Pudong District Government Complex, the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum and the Shanghai New International Expo Center which comprises over 250,000 square meters of function space. By the time the hotel opens, a high-speed magnetic levitation rail line will link Pudong International Airport and the city, reducing travel time to 10 minutes.

"Growing our lodging portfolio in China is our primary focus in the region and we are thrilled by the growing presence of our Renaissance brand in the country. This will enable us to create synergy and leverage our opportunities for both domestic and international visitors to China," said Ed Fuller, president and managing director of international lodging for Marriott International. He added that virtually all of Marriott's international brands are currently represented in Shanghai.

For dining and entertainment, the Renaissance Shanghai Pudong Hotel will have a casual restaurant with a permanent grand buffet as well as a lobby lounge and bar. Other amenities will include an executive lounge, health and fitness center, an indoor swimming pool, gift shop, pastry shop, lobby concierge desk, 24-hour room service, valet/laundry service and a business center.

For meetings and social events, the Renaissance Shanghai Pudong Hotel will offer 956 square meters of space including a 480-square meter grand ballroom that will be divisible into two sections; a 70-square meter board room; a  190-square meter meeting room that is divisible into two sections, and three meeting rooms, each offering 72-square meters of space.

Today, the Marriott International presence in China and Hong Kong is represented by 20 hotels offering 8,071 rooms and spanning five lodging brands: Marriott, Renaissance and New World in the quality tier; Courtyard in the select-service category; and Marriott Executive Apartments in the extended-stay category. Additionally, Ramada International, a division of Marriott International, has a portfolio of 10 hotels in the country.

The following five Marriott International properties are currently under construction in China:

· 237-unit Shanghai Marriott Executive Apartments (2003)
· 362-room JW Marriott Hotel Shanghai (2003)
· 327-room Dalian Marriott Hotel (2004)
· 83-unit Dalian Marriott Executive Apartments (2004)
· 289-room Renaissance Wuhan Hotel (2004)