Xian hotels tailor their offerings to appeal to growing domestic business and leisure market

Xian earns its place on the global stage on the merits of its historical riches and its wealth of amenities for the modern traveller. Times are good, with the city notching 8.85 million tourists during the most recent National Day holiday, up 12 per cent year-on-year, according to Shirley Li director of sales and marketing, Wyndham Grand Xian South and the Wyndham Grand Xian Residence.

That’s just a drop in the bucket of the 3.86 billion people who visited last year, says Markus Christ, general manager of the Shangri-La Hotel, Xian.

Travellers with an eye on luxury gravitate to the dozen-plus international hotel brands in the city, which boasts “more than 60 existing five-star hotels, local and international brands”, says Rick Sun, director of sales and marketing, Hyatt Regency Xian.

Xian is a city with a distinct rhythm to its tourism. “High season is May till October included; summertime because of tourism; September and October because of the Mid-Autumn and National Day holidays,” says Adrian Prado, general manager of Gran Meliá Xian.

Five-star hotel guests can typically expect to spend around 800 yuan (HK$900) per room, although prices can dip to 600 yuan during the off-season. Incentives such as a free massage or dinner can be found during the winter months.

Because Xian is a historical centre of power and modern metropolis, it draws a mix of visitors. “We’ve been a prime residence for business travellers since China first opened up and we also attract leisure travellers,” Christ says.

At Hyatt Regency Xian, “the main [guest] segments for our hotel are the domestic leisure travellers and MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions, exhibitions) groups”, Sun says. While the Gran Meliá Xian has a preponderance of domestic guests, the hotel has “a high proportion of Korean guests because of the Samsung factory here”, Prado says.