Case study · Positioning

Genting Resort Secret Garden

Brand positioning, hotel mix and operating model for a 2022 Winter Olympics test-venue resort.

Client: Genting Group
Location: Zhangjiakou, Hebei
Services: Market analysis, brand positioning, facility mix, operating model

All work

A test venue for the 2022 Winter Olympics, Genting Resort Secret Garden is one of China’s largest resorts by investment. With a shopping mall, apartments for sale, serviced apartments, a multimedia centre and four international hotels on one vast site, it faced fierce competition. We analysed its current and future performance against its competitors to recommend a competitive positioning, facility mix and supporting services.

4: International hotels to differentiate
20,000: Square metre multimedia centre
2022: Winter Olympics test venue

The challenge

Zhangjiakou is one of China’s best-known ski destinations, rich in natural tourism resources, and its selection for the 2022 Winter Olympics made the market even more competitive. Many rival projects were already performing strongly.

With a large site and many facilities, the owner also faced difficult choices about where to invest and how to combine the different uses. The biggest issue was a large shopping centre that was underperforming. Success depended on accurate positioning, a clear return on investment, and differentiating the four international hotels from one another.

The approach

The key questions were which hotel brands to choose and how to pair them, how to make the whole resort work as one, and how to achieve stable, efficient operations with stronger market performance.

We studied leading ski resorts in China and abroad, drew on our experience from other projects, and weighed the resort’s own strengths and weaknesses to define the most suitable positioning.

“The mixed-use developments always require an in-depth approach to positioning, service and product mix and marketing strategy – even more so in such a highly competitive environment as Zhangjiakou.”

Max Huang, Director, Project Development Services, Alliance Hospitality

The solution

We surveyed every competing property in the area, evaluating each by location, service, brand, star rating, size and operating data, and recommended a brand differentiation strategy for the future market.

Along the way, we answered the owner’s questions on future development and cash flow, and showed how the resort’s different businesses could reinforce each other.

The result

With the brand and positioning recommendations in place, we built a full operating model based on the proposed scheme and the existing buildings. By pairing complementary hotel brands and facilities, we created an operating model in which each part strengthens the others, setting the resort apart from its neighbours and offsetting its weaknesses.

The resort has become a prominent project in its market, and the work was highly recognised by the owner.

What the client said

“We would like to thank AAHMCO for its positioning analysis and facility suggestions on the two plots in this case. While considering the cost and investment recovery, it reminds us of the important control points of this project.”

Dr. Liu, Chief Investment Officer

About the client

Genting Group was founded in Malaysia and is headquartered in Kuala Lumpur. Its businesses span leisure, hotels, gaming, entertainment, property development and cruise lines.

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