The east is chasing "green" and "green".
In the first three quarters of 2023, the GDP of accommodation and catering reached a new high, totaling 1,472.4 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 144%γIn this wave of recovery in service consumption, the growth of China's hotel industry is particularly remarkable. As one of the leading companies, Dongcheng Hotel Group has more than 3,500 franchised hotels as of June 2023, ranking among the fifth largest hotel groups in China.
In 2024, Vientiane will be renewed, and Dongcheng will also have a deeper thinking about corporate social responsibility in addition to the pursuit of performance. Where should the "beauty of commerce" belonging to Dongcheng be reflected? Cheng Xinhua, chairman of Dongcheng, also recently gave his own answer.
Cheng Xinhua, chairman of Dongcheng, attended the meeting as the vice president of China Hotel Association, and shared the brand innovation and successful experience of enterprises with the theme of "Youth Tide Lights up New Road Signs", which aroused the deep thinking of many peers in the venue. And the new actions of the Dongcheng Group are hidden in this conference.
Hand in hand with the association, the green hotel strikes
From the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to the report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to "develop green and low-carbon industries, advocate green consumption, and promote the formation of green consumption production methods and lifestyles", it can be seen that the country's attention to green environmental protection is deepening.
In the view of Cheng Xinhua, chairman of Dongsheng Group, the hotel industry is an industry with high energy consumption and high emissions, and the origin of the hotel industry is service, which is related to the connection between people and the environment, which has a natural fit with ESG construction.
According to the 2022 China Hotel Industry Green Development Report, the development of a low-carbon economy with low energy consumption, low pollution and low emissions, and the creation of economitic, environmentally friendly, reassuring and healthy green hotels have become an international trend and industry direction. Therefore, Dongcheng Group decided that Chairman Cheng Xinhua would personally take charge of the establishment of a leading group for green development and promote the implementation of corporate ESG.
Previously, Cheng Xinhua, chairman of Dongcheng, mentioned in an interview that Dongcheng has carried out many hotel green practices, "such as actively promoting plastic reduction and plastic reduction, and replacing plastic products with bio-based materials for core consumables; We use energy-saving lighting fixtures and water-saving sanitary appliances to reduce energy waste. Not only that, Dongsheng will also look for first-class business partners that are more in line with ESG concepts to jointly promote the ESG development of the industry. β
These actions of Dongcheng have also attracted the attention and cooperation of a higher level in the industry. At the 30th Anniversary Summary and Outlook Conference of China Hotel Association, Dongcheng Group was invited to participate in the signing ceremony of the green hotel group of the vice president (director) unit, showing its firm determination and strength in sustainable development. At the same time, Dongsheng has also become the only wine management group in the hotel industry to be awarded the Green Hotel ESG Research Base by the China Hotel Association for its outstanding performance in ESG practice, which marks another important milestone on the road of sustainable development of Dongsheng Group and has become a new driving force to promote the healthy development of long-term investment in the hotel industry.
In the coming months, Cheng Xinhua, chairman of Dongcheng Group, will lead the group to launch a series of research projects and cooperation initiatives, inviting relevant organizations and individuals to participate, aiming to become a green think tank for the hotel industry. For hotels, taking social responsibility and taking the road of green and sustainable development is also a major measure to win the goodwill of users. Dongcheng has already begun his own exploration here.
Embrace the tide of youth with all your might
According to the 2023 Asia-Pacific Travel Confidence Index report, a whopping 75% of travelers said they would prioritise sustainable travel options, while 71% were willing to pay the same or more for sustainable travel as in previous years. Obviously, the more receptive to "green hotels" is the younger user group. This explains an interesting coincidence: Dongcheng, which is committed to the concept of green hotels, is also a hotel group that mainly caters to young users.
Cheng Xinhua, Chairman of Dongcheng Hotel, pointed out in his keynote speech at the 30th anniversary meeting of the China Hotel Association that in 2023, the membership system of Dongcheng Hotel "Dongcheng Club" will increase from 13% in 2019 to 17% of student users (18-25 years old), and 31% of young people (26-32 years old) will increase from 31%. This means that Dongcheng must move closer to the consumption habits of young users at the level of products and operational strategies - in fact, this is exactly the direction that Dongcheng is working on.
There are nearly 2,000 urban convenience hotels in the country, which is the first stop for many young people to learn about Dongcheng. In this hotel, consumers can see the front desk wearing trendy T-shirts, they can see customized illustrations with different characteristics, and the design of restaurants and fitness spaces has also abandoned the "dignified" route of business hotels. Chairman Cheng Xinhua commented in his speech: "The youthful aesthetics of urban convenience hotels have subverted the stereotype of economy hotels, and have also been widely praised by investors and consumers. β
It is worth mentioning that Dongcheng also launched its own super IP "Green Cat" in March 2023, which has an IP image with crescent eyes, a British short cat forehead, and an asymmetrical belly pattern, which is highly compatible with the "cute economy" that young users are keen on. "When traditional hotel brands embrace the Internet, interacting with Gen Z with familiar language symbols is the easiest way to reach users. Cheng Xinhua explained the original intention of the green cat IP design in this way.
Green Cat Super IP
Dongcheng tries to connect with young people on a larger level. At the end of 2023, Dongcheng will join forces with Zhang Xuefeng, a famous graduate school teacher who has a close relationship with the graduate school entrance examination, to carry out a postgraduate entrance examination sprint lecture activity to support young people in the process of "going ashore". This 2-hour event + live broadcast has received more than one million ** and 5 million+ likes.
On New Year's Day 2024, Dongcheng officially released Dongcheng Club APP 50. Reform the traditional point reward mechanism and try to let young consumers experience more tangible membership rights; The app also added a new content co-creation section "Super Play", which is convenient for users to query and plant information about eating, drinking and having fun around the hotel. Cheng Xinhua, Chairman of Dongcheng Group, said that over the years, Dongcheng has made every effort to strengthen its innovation DNA, deeply integrate Internet thinking, and strive to provide more imagination and innovation space for the industry.
According to the Huafu** research report, the current trend of younger hotel consumers is obvious: in the first half of 2023, more than 70% of users under the age of 40 will be used; And the proportion of users under the age of 20 has increased significantly compared with 2022. iResearch's "2023 China Consumer Insights*** shows that the rational consumption trend of the post-00s generation is significant, and the three prominent characteristics are "pay attention to shopping around", "pay attention to screening and promotion information, rationally plant grass", and "be willing to try product replacement".
Embracing young users, for any hotel brand, is trying to "be a friend of time". Dongcheng's strategy will also stand the test of time and bring inspiration to more hotel brands. As Cheng Xinhua said, "Young people are the main force of future consumption, and young people are leading the direction of hotel reform." β