Leading accommodation provider Oaks Hotels & Resorts has been recognised by Ctrip – the world’s fastest growing and China’s largest online travel agency – as Best Hotel Partner, Oceania for 2018 at the annual Ctrip Awards, held in Sydney last week.

The hotelier also took out Ctrip’s Guests’ Choice Award – Australia and New Zealand – which was based on unbiased guest reviews from Ctrip travellers.

Timed to coincide with Chinese New Year, the awards ceremony served to acknowledge leaders in the hospitality and tourism industry who have directly and positively contributed to the Chinese travel market.

Oaks Hotels & Resorts’ commitment to Chinese travellers has continued to strengthen in recent years, rolling out a number of initiatives to cater and appeal to this influential inbound travel segment, which is expected to reach 3.3 million by 2026 according to Tourism Australia.

Testament to this, Ctrip announced that Oaks Hotels & Resorts polled within the top five hotel brands and tourism operators responsible for bringing the highest number of Chinese guests into Australia and New Zealand in 2018.

Furthermore, the hotelier has recorded a 60% increase in revenue through Ctrip year on year from 2017 to 2018, reinforcing that Oaks Hotels & Resorts’ China Ready strategy is yielding exceptionally strong results.

Chief Operating Officer of Minor Hotels – Australia and New Zealand – Mr Craig Hooley, commented, “On behalf of the entire team at Oaks Hotels & Resorts, we are delighted to be recognised by Ctrip across these two award categories for excellence in the Chinese market; it really does reiterate our commitment to this growing market.

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Mr Craig Hooley, Chief Operating Officer of Minor Hotels – Australia and New Zealand.

“With 75% of all Chinese travellers using Ctrip as their preferred online booking platform, this provides hoteliers with an incredible opportunity to harness these active travellers, and deliver a memorable travel experience here in Australia and New Zealand.

“Our participating properties in the ‘guì bīn’ program are actively and effectively taking steps to broaden their appeal to Chinese travellers, which in turn is resulting in a greater online ranking, with positive guest reviews from Chinese travellers prompting additional bookings across the board,” said Mr Hooley.

Oaks Hotels & Resorts first launched its ‘guì bīn’ program – a dedicated Chinese VIP service including exclusive amenities, hotel services and lifestyle items – in 2017, before rolling out this initiative across a wider selection of properties in 2018.

The brand was also officially recognised by China Ready® as an accredited partner last year, which assists Chinese visitors in identifying products and services they can trust when planning overseas travel.

Click here to view the Oaks Hotels & Resorts website.

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