Ritz-Carlton opens New Hotel and Residences in Guangzhou, China

Ritz-Carlton today strengthens its presence in China with the opening of The Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou and The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou. The hotel is the company’s fourth property in mainland China, with new openings scheduled for Sanya, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Macau in the next two years.

Simon F. Cooper, president and chief operating officer of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, said, “We are very excited to open our fourth hotel in mainland China in Guangzhou, a city that is developing at an impressive rate and attracting more and more foreign companies, investment and business travelers.”

“This is a city with a unique culture and heritage and is famous as the birth place of both Cantonese cooking and the Cantonese language, it has a rich history and an incredibly bright future through its unprecedented commercial growth.”

Formerly known as Canton, Guangzhou, the capital city of Guangdong Province ­ China’s manufacturing powerhouse - is the third biggest city in China with a population of more than 10 million. With international companies including Nokia, Coca-Cola, City Group, ABN AMRO Bank and Lehman Brothers Holding Inc all having representative offices in the city and with billions of dollars of foreign investment, Guangzhou is the economic success story of southern China.

Located in the heart of Pearl River New City area of Tianhe District, The Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou occupies the 20th to 38th floors of a stylish, modern building. The hotel offers 351 luxurious guestrooms featuring elegant European design, distinctive amenities and premier views of the Pearl River. The entry level guestrooms, at 50 square meters/540 square feet, are among the largest in the city. The Ritz-Carlton Suite is located on the top floor of the hotel and features a walk-in wine cellar - which can be customized to suit the guest’s individual requirements and tastes - a private gym, and two 40-square-meter/430-square-feet patios, including an outdoor Jacuzzi and barbecue grill.

The Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou - the 70th property in The Ritz-Carlton portfolio - occupies a unique location in the city close to cultural and commercial landmarks that include Guangzhou Opera House, Guangdong Museum and the new Guangzhou International Convention and Exhibition Center, where the semi-annual China Import and Export Fair is held. The city will also host the 2010 Asian Games.

The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou is the first Ritz-Carlton Residences in China. Located in the same building as the hotel and accessible by a separate entrance and lobby, The Residences features 91 serviced, luxury private residences, from one to four bedrooms, ranging between 111 to 275 square meters/ 1118 to 2590 square feet.

A complete range of refined personalized services is provided by the hotel’s ladies and gentlemen, including concierge, housekeeping, private chef catering to in-residence parties and functions, in-residence Spa treatment, shopping butler, and city orientation and Residents’ activity programs. Additional complimentary benefits include daily breakfast in FOODS, in-residence wired and wireless Internet access and The Ritz-Carlton fitness center membership.

Food is taken very seriously in Guangzhou and The Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou has a variety of dining options in keeping with the traditions of a city that made Cantonese food widely known throughout the world. The hotel’s six dining options include Lai Heen, which serves authentic Cantonese specialties in an elegant Chinese dining room; Terra, which serves western-style cuisine; all-day dining is available in FOODS; the richest traditions of tea and evening cocktails can be enjoyed in the Pearl Lounge; wines and cigars can be enjoyed in The Churchill Bar, while H2O is a creative poolside bar and grill.

A 24-hour fitness center with state-of-the-art Technogym equipment is available to guests who wish to exercise, while The Ritz-Carlton Spa with 11 treatment rooms is available for those who wish to pamper themselves in luxurious style.

With more than 1000 square meters/11000 square feet of space, including a 648-square-meter/7000-square-feet ballroom, the hotel is well equipped to host a variety of meetings groups. All of the function areas are equipped with both wired and wireless Internet access and one special feature of the meetings spaces is that they can be custom named by the groups using them – so companies can name the meetings rooms they are using after areas of their business or any name they choose.

Opening promotional rates for The Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou start from CNY1,350 per night on weekdays for a Deluxe Room, while weekend special packages will start at CNY988 per night for a Deluxe Room, including buffet breakfast for two.

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