Yorkshire hotel aims to be 'most China friendly'

An hotel in the historic city of York has set-out plans to become the most 'China friendly' in the North of the UK.

York's Grand Hotel and Spa is trying to implemente several ideas in a bid to attract and welcome more Chinese guests. [Photo: Agencies]

That's according to specialist industry publication Hotel Owner, who report that York's Grand Hotel and Spa is in the process of implementing several ideas in a bid to attract and welcome more Chinese guests.

These include Mandarin lessons for staff, translations into Mandarin of restaurant menus, and organising tours of York for guests in Mandarin.

Speaking to Hotel Owner, the hotel's Manager Philip Bolson said:

''We’re going above and beyond to secure our position as the most China-friendly hotel in the north of England...we’re excited to welcome more visitors from the Far East to our home.''

We've reported extensively over the last few months on the growing importance of Chinese guests to the British hospitality industry.

Many businesses are seeking ways to welcome more visitors from China.

VisitBritain runs a GREAT China Welcome Programme – at its centre is the GREAT China Welcome directory. It lists more than 300 businesses including hotels, attractions, retailers and tour operators that are making themselves ‘China-ready.’

They've done that in a number of ways, for example by providing information in Mandarin or Cantonese, and adapting their products for the Chinese market and culture.

According to VisitBritain, a business can apply to become a member of the GREAT China Welcome Charter by providing one or more of the following offerings to Chinese guests:

●A product or a service that is of genuine interest to potential Chinese visitors and meets their distinct cultural needs and expectations

●First-hand experience of welcoming Chinese visitors within the past two years

●Mandarin or Cantonese speaking staff

●Translated websites, apps or literature

●Visitor information or signage in Mandarin or Cantonese

●Visitor-facing staff who have undergone training about Chinese culture and etiquette

●Facilities for customers to pay using China UnionPay

●Some form of formal collaboration with a peer organisation in China

●Businesses can be privately or publicly owned and there is no minimum size