Ritz-Carlton signs deal for Xian hotel

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company has signed a management agreement with Zhongda Zhongfanxin Proprietary Company for The Ritz-Carlton, Xian, expected to open in 2018. The hotel will have 288 guestrooms. 

“To explore Xian is to unearth the history of China, making it one of the world’s great cities on a global itinerary for our guests,” Hervé Humler, president and COO for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, said in a statement. “We’re delighted to be partnering with Zhongda Zhongfanxin Proprietary Company to open the first Ritz-Carlton in such an important and culturally significant destination.”

This is only the latest branded hotel announcement for Xian, which has been seeing increased development in recent years. Meliá Hotels International Group, for example, entered China in 2014 with the Meliá Xian, and the Regent Place Xian is slated to open in 2017. 

Xian's Appeal 

Located in North West China, the city is one of China’s Four Ancient Capitals, home to 13 imperial Chinese dynasties, and still serves as the capital of Shaanxi province today. The city is part of China’s most important trading corridors that stretches from the Yellow Sea to Kazakhstan.

The ancient Chinese capital is perhaps most famous for its archaeological treasures, including the life-sized Bingmayong (Terra Cotta Warriors) that were buried with China’s first Qin emperor. It was among the first of China’s artifacts to be protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

Modern Xian remains an eclectic city that befits its position at the crossroads of empire. Ming-era city walls can be explored best by bicycle and its extensive Muslim Quarter is a warren of narrow lanes that can be compared to the bustle of a Middle Eastern souk with Chinese heritage. Endless temples and cultural relics dot the city and the surrounding countryside, while its rich culinary scene draws extensively from a melting pot of influences on the Silk Road.