Ahn Luh, first Chinese luxury hotel brand launched in Beijing

But a new venture is aiming to reboot the concept of customer care in the world’s fastest-growing travel market.

A new luxury hotel concern, Ahn Luh Hotel Management Company (安麓酒店管理有限公司), launched operations in Beijing in late May, according to China Travel News Agency (in simplified Chinese).

The launch marks China’s first foray into direct competition with international luxury hoteliers.

Ahn Luh (which may be translated as "peaceful mountain") is a joint venture between Beijing Tourism Group (China’s largest tourism company), Singapore-based General Hotel Management Holdings Ltd. (GHM) and the Great Ocean Group, a Chinese private investment company.

China is expected to become the world’s largest hotel market by the end of 2025.

"In essence, the concept is to bring in the old world Chinese hospitality of caring and being considerate with contemporary elegance to create value-added products,“ said Beijing Tourism Group chairman Duan Qiang (段强).

"We’ve got an experienced management team from GHM, which has successfully run luxury hotels, including the Nam Hai Hoi An in Vietnam and Chedi Muscat in Oman," said Duan. "We believe with this team we can redesign a new image of Chinese hotels."

Planned features of Ahn Luh properties include a resident tai chi master and on-site tai chi center and spa, yoga and meditation centers with TCM physicians, dim sum breakfasts and all day Chinese-style tapas bar.

Other announced amenities include indoor-outdoor pools, libraries and cigar lounges, airport concierges and a fleet of Wi-Fi enabled cars.

More hotels are planned for major cities and tourist destinations around China, including properties in Beijing, the Pearl River Delta and southwest China.