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The Chinese company Dorsett Hotels & Resorts will open its first hotel, the 317-room Dorsett Shepherd’s Bush, in London. The Chinese company Dorsett Hotels & Resorts will officially open its first London hotel tomorrow, aiming to benefit from the rising number of Chinese tourists visiting the nearby Westfield shopping centre.
The 317-room Dorsett Shepherd's Bush in West London is the first hotel in the capital to be opened by the group, which is headed by Chinese businesswoman Winnie Chiu. The company is already in talks to open more hotels across London ? with likely locations including the City, Docklands, Elephant and Castle and Wandsworth ? and there are plans to open 10 in the next four to five years. The company has earmarked pounds sterling 500 million for its London expansion plans. Chiu is believed to be eyeing other cities including Manchester. The Dorsett Shepherd's Bush has been open during the summer in a 'soft launch' phase. Due to its proximity to the Shepherd's Bush Empire music venue, the hotel has played host to celebrity guests including Kylie Minogue, Taylor Swift and singer Sam Smith. Dorsett, which is listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange and is owned by Chiu's father's firm Far East Consortium International, has invested pounds sterling 52 million on the former cinema site in Shepherd's Bush. It has also bought the adjacent site, a former Walkabout pub. The group has signed up to be the hotel partner of children's playzone concept KidZania, which opens in Westfield next year. |
