The Crowne Plaza Guangzhou City Center remains the heart of the southern Chinese city with its recent extensive makeover. Li Wenfang reports.

Hotel profile | Guangzhou

'The Crowne Plaza Guangzhou City Center will drive excellent business performance in the foreseeable future," says Dominique Berhouet, general manager of the hotel, without a hint of hesitation.

"International business travelers are back on the road, boosting hotel occupancy rates."

The five-star hotel is located on Huanshidong Lu, heart of the downtown's bustling commercial and shopping district.

The iconic building, popularly called "63", once the tallest building in China, is still the heart of Guangzhou after an impressive makeover as the Crowne Plaza Guangzhou City Center in April 2011.

"The '63' has reclaimed its place as the center of Guangzhou in the hearts and minds of residents and visitors alike, with elegantly designed and appointed rooms offering commanding views of the Guangzhou skyline, coupled with Crowne Plaza's world-renowned business and meeting expertise," Berhouet says.

The hotel features 460 guest rooms and suites, equipped with WiFi and specialty pillows.

Club floors with 73 rooms and suites offer personalized service. Each guest room has been designed to answer the needs of the most demanding of guests, with such services as satellite programming, and multi-platform docking stations for mobiles and music players. In addition, the rooms offer guests exclusive access to the 24-hour club lounge, where they can conduct business in the state-of-the-art meeting rooms or just socialize over cocktails, as they gaze at the expanse of Guangzhou's skyline.

Guests can transfer from and to the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport within 30 minutes by airport express buses that stop right at the hotel's front door.

The hotel is just 7 km from the Guangzhou East Railway Station, 13 km from the Pazhou International Conventional and Exhibition Center, and within walking distance of Guangzhou Metro Station. It is also conveniently located close to office blocks and tourist attractions.

For dining options, guests can choose from the organic specialties at Baiyuelou, a popular Cantonese restaurant, or the lavish buffet prepared in show kitchens at Fresh, or exquisite dim sums, hand-made noodles and a variety of delicate snacks at Chopstix, a casual Asian restaurant.

The lobby lounge offers a variety of cocktails, fine wines and beers, as well as an array of tantalizing appetizers.

"It's important to recognize that Guangzhou has always been known for its rich Cantonese cuisine," Berhouet says.

"We believe our food and beverage operations will impress our guests from home and abroad with their high quality and value for money."

The 2,000 square meters of meeting space includes a 985-sq-m pillarless Crystal Ballroom with a 9-meter-high ceiling. The Pearl Ballroom, Diamond Boardroom and 8 Jade function rooms feature state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment.

Berhouet says, "As a team, we practice responsible business by monitoring our energy usage through the Green Engage program, constantly striving to reduce our impact on the environment."

On his appointment as the general manager of the hotel, he says: "To have been chosen to head this opening team has been personally fulfilling, but none of it would have been possible without the support of IHG professionals, a great team, and working with such great owners as business partners."