The new Ausotel Smart brand was unveiled in Guangzhou this week, in a major ceremony at Argyle’s new Chinese office attended by Dominic Trindade, Australia’s consul-general in Guangzhou, Julie-Anne Nichols, Australia’s senior trade commissioner for Guangzhou, and Tracy Colgan, chair of the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Beijing.

According to the company, the new contemporary brand will target “China’s emerging middle class, young adults and savvy business travellers who are seeking a unique travel experience”. The ‘smart’ title is derived from the words ‘simplistic & modern art’, which Argyle says reflects the brand’s design concept.

Initially, Argyle has signed management contracts for at least four Ausotel Smart properties in China. The Ausotel Smart Guangzhou is already open in the city’s Tianhe district, and will be followed by new properties in Lijiang (opening in May 2015) and Shangri-La county (June 2015), both in Yunnan province, and Ningde, Fujian province (opening date to be confirmed).

The company’s website however, shows that a second Guangzhou property, Ausotel Smart Xintianhe, is also scheduled to open in May 2015.

And Jeff Zhang, general manager for the company’s Guangzhou office, said he believes that the Ausotel brand will reach its ambitious target of 150 hotels in China over the next three years.

Having started life in Australia, Argyle has more recently focused its development efforts on mainland China. The company now operates 60 hotels in the country, comprising more than 12,000 rooms, under its Argyle, Argyle Grand, Aushotel and Ausotel Smart brands. And Argyle said its main focus in future would be on China’s “second, third and fourth tier cities”.

Source from <Travel Daily Asia>