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| fairmont-hotel-beijing |
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, a luxury brand in the FRHI Hotels & Resorts (FRHI) portfolio, announced the development of a new hotel in Eastern China.
Fairmont Suzhou, scheduled to open in 2018, will join the company's growing portfolio of luxury hotels and residences in China.
Fairmont Suzhou will feature 390 luxury guestrooms, as well as five distinct dining outlets. The hotel will also house over 4,000 square meters (43,000 square feet) of banquet and event space. Leisure facilities will include a swimming pool and Willow Stream Spa, the company's branded spa product.
Suzhou is located in the center of the Yangtze River Delta, and is approximately 110 km (70 miles) east of Shanghai. The city's history dates back over 2,500 years, making it one of the oldest cities in the Yangtze Basin, where it has long been an important commercial and cultural center. It is currently the largest industrial city in China, but due to its mild climate and scenic setting, it also attracts a large number of visitors year-round. Famed for its elegant stone bridges, canals, flowing water and noteworthy architecture, Suzhou is often referred to as the "Venice of the East". The city also boasts the beautifully manicured Classical Gardens of Suzhou. Made up of eight of the finest gardens, out of more than 200 in the city, they span a period of almost 1,000 years and have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Other attractions include numerous pagodas, temples, historical districts and Tiger Hill, a popular tourist site which is said to resemble a crouching tiger, and is known for its natural beauty.
Suzhou is linked by six key expressways to major cities like Shanghai and Hangzhou and has high-speed railway connections to Nanjing and Beijing. The city is also expanding its metro system, which will include a proposed station under the Fairmont hotel. Suzhou is approximately 100 km (60 miles) from Shanghai Hongqiao Airport and 120 km (75 miles) from Shanghai Pudong International Airport.
Fairmont currently operates a number of properties in China, including Fairmont Beijing, Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai, Kunshan's Fairmont Yangcheng Lake, and Fairmont Nanjing. The country continues to be a key growth market for the brand, with a number of new developments scheduled to open in the coming years, including projects in Chengdu (2015), Changsha (2017), Hangzhou (2018), Taiyuan (2019) and Nanning (2019).
