Addressing the VIPs at the event, Martin Fluck, director of operations, North Asia, Oakwood reminisced, "When Oakwood took over the management of Oakwood Gold Arch Residence Guangzhou in April 2000, this property became the first international-brand serviced apartment in Guangzhou.
"The only Serviced Apartment operator with a presence in North America, Asia and Europe, Oakwood's wealth of international experience, coupled with the property's unbeatable location in this fashionable residential enclave of Er Sha Island, and the hardwork and commitment of the team on property, has made Oakwood Gold Arch Residence Guangzhou into the choice of many discerning business travellers and expatriates. With hotel-like amenities and personalized service, the 97 bright and spacious residential units in Oakwood Gold Arch Residence Guangzhou offer a safe and comfortable environment for relocating expatriates and their families, as well as short-stay travelers.
"Growing our presence in China has been and remains a key priority for Oakwood. We have projects in cities across China including Beijing, Chengdu, Haikou, Sanya, Suzhou, and other cities, in various stages of development.
"In 2016 we will be opening three new properties in China – in Beijing (Damei), Suzhou and Sanya (Hainan)."
He went on to elaborate, "Demand for serviced apartments has grown dramatically since we first opened, and especially in the past 10 years. This is fueled by gradually improving product knowledge, i.e. greater understanding of the benefits of serviced apartments amongst corporates, improving standards of apartments brought on by the arrival of brands such as ourselves into the sector, changing employment trends and economic growth trends
According to the Global Serviced Apartments Industry Report 2015/16, 81.48 percent of survey respondents prefer serviced apartments to hotels, compared to 78.1 percent in 2013. More than 71 percent cite the ability to cook their own meals or entertain as a factor, 66.6 percent privacy and 58.3 percent the overall serviced apartment environment.
"Serviced apartments are not only for relocating expatriates and their families, they are equally suitable for short-stay travelers," Fluck concluded. "As a world leader in hospitality service, Oakwood Worldwide is committed to creating quality living experiences to meet the lifestyle needs and aspirations of our guests
Outside of China, Oakwood will be opening five other new properties in 2016, bringing the total number of properties managed by Oakwood Asia Pacific to 36 properties by end 2016. This represents an almost 30% increase in our number of properties in one year. At that time, Oakwood Asia Pacific will be operating in 21 cities in 10 countries and territories across Asia Pacific.