The 13th Forum of China Hotel Grouplization Development, organized by the China Tourist Hotel Association, was held in Kunshan, July 19 – 21.

The 2015 list of Top 60 Hotel Groups in China was released at the forum. The hotel groups were evaluated by number of guestrooms, with Shanghai-based Jin Jiang International Hotels (Group) and Homeinns Hotel Group listed among the top 10.

The average number of guestrooms among the hotel groups surveyed grew 50.24 percent from 2014, according to a research report released at the forum.

The growth momentum was robust, and centralization came with it, said Gu Huimin, president of the hotel management institute at Beijing International Studies University.

Fostering customer loyalty was thus a hot topic at the forum as gaps of operation scale continually grow between hotel groups.

Another subject attracting much attention was the shift of China's business tax to value-added tax, which became effective as of May 1 after being piloted in limited industries and regions since the beginning of 2012.

A total of 57 hotel groups seconded a proposal of the China Tourist Hotel Association and the China Hotel Association that was endorsed by 28 provincial-level tourist hotel associations, pledging to comply with the new tax regulations to ensure a sound market environment.

A special session was scheduled for the host city Kunshan's tourism authorities to introduce the city's tourism resources. During the session, some tastes of local culture, such as Kunqu opera and pingtan, were staged.

Performers in traditional Chinese dress qipao perform with Chinese lutes for the attendees of the 13th Forum of China Hotel Grouplization Development held in Kunshan, July 19 -21. [Photo from Kunshan Daily]