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| Two Is Company for Marriot Hotels in Beijing |
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And three soon-to-be operational luxury hotels will surely boost the area's reputation. Sofitel Wanda is expected to open this summer, followed by Ritz-Carlton Beijing and JW Marriott Hotel Beijing, both part of the worldwide hotel group Marriott International Inc, are scheduled to open in the fourth quarter. The 590-room Marriott is the brand's fourth in Because of the hotels' close proximity, the Marriot and Ritz-Carlton will be jointly operated under the same sales, marketing and finance groups - a first for the Marriot company. Robert J. Lohrmann will be the managing director of The Ritz-Carlton Beijing and JW Marriott Hotel Beijing, overseeing two general managers. During a recent trip to Q: As the managing director of the two hotels, what will be your main job? A: An interesting question, because I have not acted in this role before. A big part of my job is to make sure we combine the two Marriott luxury hotels, and do maximum leveraging from the two businesses. Ritz-Carlton has been a separately operated brand from Marriott, so I will make sure there is good communication and synergy. We will also try to have strong relationships with property owners. Q: Don't you think two luxury hotels in the same location will compete with one another? A: No. The hotels will complement each other as each has its defined customer profile. For Ritz-Carlton, it represents luxury and quality, and JW Marriott, sophistication and high-level personal services. We provide customers different choices. Q: What about Sofitel? A: I won't comment on Sofitel. I think the competition is healthy and positive. Q: What are your business expectations? A: We expect to be very successful. Wherever they are, both Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott have typically enjoyed being market leaders. This time, things will not be different. We are a unique project, and we hope to make a splash when the hotels open. Q: A: It is the best location in Q: What have you been busy working on leading up to the opening? A: Everyone is working hard to make sure we have a good pre-opening, informing the public we are coming, where we are and what we can offer. We can get enough support from our well-established network. There will be challenges in the lead-up to the opening, but it's not a big concern for us. Q: As a veteran hotelier, you know A: From what I have seen here, it's an exciting market, and the industry has come a long way in a short period. I think the stage has been set for significant improvement. The timing could not be better. International hotels have already done a good job, with nice hardware, quality services and global network. They can assist in giving the market credibility. Because of the Olympics and its economic boom, (
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