KEMPINSKI, said to be the oldest luxury hotel chain in Europe, will open a new five-star hotel in Shenzhen in August, offering the city's elites and visitors a new choice for upscale, modern-cum-traditional personalized service.

Even before its opening, the hotel has impressed many locals with its telephone number, 8888-8888. Chinese consider eight the most auspicious number, and a telephone number or license plate containing all 8s is considered as auspicious as possible.

Not just relying on lucky numbers, the Kempinski Hotel Shenzhen is strategically located near the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Western Corridor due to open by the end of this year, and at the heart of Nanshan District's emerging business center.

A spokesperson for the hotel said Kempinski Shenzhen was designed to be the leading luxury hotel in the western part of the city. Its 390 guest rooms feature flat screen TV and bathroom television.

Executive floor services include 24-hour butler service, complimentary high-speed broadband Internet access and bathroom television and sound systems.

A special executive floor for female guests will provide perfume, silk racks for hanging clothes and other accessories.

The hotel restaurants will offer Asian and Western food and regional Chinese cuisine.

Other facilities include private meeting rooms, a fitness center, indoor pool and rooftop tennis court, parking lots and a grand ballroom with state-of-the-art conference facilities for 800.

Emphasizing traditional European service, the Kempinski will add to the diversity of Shenzhen hotels. The hotel's August opening is the same month as the announced opening of the Marco Polo in the central business district (CBD), and a new Sheraton, also in the CBD, is scheduled to open later this year.

The Kempinski Group

FOUNDED in Germany, Kempinski acquired its first property in 1897. The group's luxury hotels and resorts now reach throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South America and Asia.

Each Kempinski hotel or resort is a distinctive property, with its own character, designed for local cultural traditions. Prime locations include views of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Red Square in Moscow, the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and the Great Wall in Beijing.

Kempinski Hotel Shenzhen will be the eighth Kempinski-managed property in China.

Editor: Wing