Rooftop-to-Street Site Inspection

“When considering hotel projects, first look at the immediate surroundings; second, examine the internal structure of the building; third, go up on the roof and look about. Look at the immediate surrounds to gauge the price range a hotel in the neighbourhood will be able to achieve in the future. Examine the structure to consider remodelling and room layout. I like large open area floors, though many buildings are not like that with numerous partitions. That will mean a lot of geometrical problems to solve. On the roof the whole environment of the hotel can be taken in. For a project in Singapore, I clambered up to the 12th floor together with designer Ray Chou for a look. That’s the only way to observe traffic flows and the areas around the site. At street level we can take in the small neighbourhood while on the roof we can observe the big neighbourhood.”

“Our hotel site selection strategy was different from other hotel brands. They focus on expanding their network. We focused on getting into busy central business districts of major cities, especially in the Yangtze River Delta. And from there, we expanded to cities in the Bohai Bay region and the Pearl River Delta. This strategy enabled us to connect the most economically vibrant regions on our map right from the beginning and was a convenient choice for business travellers.”