Restrictions on government spending and stiff competition force upscale Zhengzhou brands to offer guests best possible customer experience

Zhengzhou's range of premium hotels is broader and deeper than before, catering to a growing number of guests from all corners of the market. With provincial tourism revenue topping 500 billion yuan (HK$595.76 billion) for the first time in 2015, the city has benefited tremendously from its manufacturing prowess and from Henan's growth in tourism.

At the high-end of the market, several five-star hotels have opened in recent years, outpacing the growth of the tourism market, notes Daisy Duan, general manager of the Zhengzhou Yuda Palace Hotel.

Many guests are corporate travellers, given the city's position as a "major manufacturing hub for a variety of industry sectors, most notably in the hi-tech and automotive industries", says Albert Kaindlbauer, general manager of the Hilton Zhengzhou. He says the city is also "gaining in popularity as a cultural tourism destination, attracting independent leisure travellers as well as tour group guests from within China and overseas".

Joseph To, general manager of JW Marriott Hotel Zhengzhou, also sees "more leisure guests from east and south China [who come] to visit tourist sites around Zhengzhou like the Shaolin Temple, the Longmen grotto and Kaifeng".

Chinese policy efforts such as the Silk Road Economic Belt and the modern iteration of the Maritime Silk Road are also driving "a growing number of foreigners from Europe, America, Russia and other countries who come to Zhengzhou for business trips", To adds.

At the Yuda Palace, Duan sees the market broadening from luxury travellers to a mass market that encompasses a much broader array of business travellers and leisure guests.

Intense competition in Zhenghou's luxury hotel market means that local and international brands are working harder than ever to stand out from the crowd.