Hotel group Ahn Luh has expanded its presence in China with the signing of hotel management contracts for two new upscale hotels in Shanghai and Shaoxing.
Ahn Luh group was founded in 2012 by hotel management group GHM in partnership with Beijing Tourism Group and China-based Great Ocean Group.
The Ahn Luh Lanting is scheduled to open in Q3 2014 and the Ahn Luh Zhujiajiao is expected to open in Q2 2015.
Located in Shaoxing, Ahn Luh Lanting will be a 99-key development incorporated into 35 heritage houses, 30 minutes from Hangzhou in the province of Zhejiang. The hotel will feature a spa and wellness centre, a medical hall and tai chi facility. Its dining concepts will incorporate authentic Chinese elements.
Ahn Luh Zhujiajiao, named after - and located in - a historic area in Shanghai's suburbs, will consist of 35 villas built in traditional Chinese style. The property will also include a spa and a tai chi centre as well as a museum, restaurants, a library and meeting space.
The new openings are a partnership between Ahn Luh and the Qinsen Group.
Akira Moreno, Ahn Luh's CEO, said: "Shaoxing and Zhujiajiao are both ancient river towns with arched stone bridges and a warren of canals. Ahn Luh Lanting in Shaoxing will feature historic Hui-style homes that date back as far as the 1600s while the Zhujiajiao project aims to reflect the rich cultural traditions of this ancient water town."
Qinsen's chairman, Qin Tongqian, has been collecting artwork and purchasing heritage homes from the Qing and Ming dynasties over the last two decades. Parts of his collection of antique furniture, ornate wooden beams, stone carvings and Chinese artwork will be showcased in both Ahn Luh developments.
"Through the plans and designs for Ahn Luh Lanting, we see the soul of what we had envisioned for the Ahn Luh brand," said Adrian Zecha, a co-founder of hotel management group GHM, which, alongside Beijing Tourism Group and China-based Great Ocean Group, launched the Ahn Luh brand in May 2012. "This is definitely what everyone is eagerly awaiting to see as well."
