EAST ASIAN HOTEL CHAINS - DWARFS AMONG GIANTS?

Even though corporations from East Asia (mainly from Japan) occupy prominent positions amongst the global giants, there are no East Asian hotel chains in this prestigious group. Furthermore, their role on the global hotel market has weakened over the past 15 years. In the case of the Chinese market, this is largely due to the expansion of foreign hotel chains, and in the case of Japan - to the special features of the local hotel industry. This does not mean, however, that all the major East Asian hotel chains are lagging behind the global leaders. The positive exceptions mainly include Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts (Hong Kong) and JAL Hotels Company Ltd. (Japan).