Work starts on Hilton Xiamen

Xiamen’s top city officials today joined forces with Hilton International and property developer Xiamen Vast Art Industries Co Ltd., to officially mark the start of work on the 30-storey, 410-room Hilton Xiamen. The hotel will be Hilton’s eighth property in China when it opens at the end of 2006.

President for Hilton International Middle East and Asia Pacific, Mr Koos Klein said Hilton Xiamen will be “the best hotel in the best location in what is one of the most beautiful and most important port cities in China.”

Located on 4800 sqm of prime land one block from the waterfront, Managing Director of Xiamen Vast Art, Mr Zhu Fu Dong added that “opening a luxury business hotel in Xiaman will convey a powerful message of growth to the international business and leisure community.

“Xiamen has become an economic powerhouse since its selection in 1981 as a Special Economic Zone. Foreign trade hinges on international business people wanting to come here again and again. We believe that Hilton, the world’s most well-known hotel brand, will help us promote our city, especially in our expanding markets of Korea and Japan.”

The portside of the Hilton Xiamen will feature a 180-degree, floor-to-ceiling wrap-around window which offers spectacular views over the waterfront thoroughfare and street level activity. Guests will enter the hotel’s public spaces via a dramatic glass and stone stairwell shrouded by a theatrical three-storey curtain of crystal beads. The stairwell leads into a mezzanine level lobby lounge and Hilton Caffe Cino outlet.

The first six floors of the Hilton Xiamen will be a podium of public spaces, housing a large recreational facility with a lap pool and dance studio, a number of banquet outlets and a full meetings facilities.

The Hilton Xiamen will offer four food and beverage outlets including an all-day market place restaurant with open-display Chinese and Japanese kitchens and a second, contemporary Chinese restaurant with nine private dining rooms. A destination bar and an executive floor with private library will be located at the rooftop level.

Hilton Xiamen is primarily a business hotel. The fifth floor will be dedicated to Hilton Meetings and offers nine meeting rooms and a full board room, all with natural lighting. The business floor will also house a round-the-clock business centre with full secretarial services.

A ball room located on the fourth floor has a banquet capacity for 600. With three sides featuring floor-to-ceiling windows and 180 degree wrap around views of the waterfront.

Xiamen has enjoyed a meteoric rise since its selection in 1981 as one of China’s first Special Economic Zones. The relatively small number of international visitors has increased recently thanks to a growth in direct flights from Japan, Korea and Singapore.

Xiamen is also billed as one of China’s top tourist-friendly destinations as a result of pro-environmental activities which have been praised by the United Nations. These include banning vehicular traffic through the streets of a nearby historic township, and purifying Yuandang Lake.

The port city is located on China’s south eastern coast.