Ctrip signs strategic partnership agreement with Okura Nikko Hotel Management

TOKYO, Sept. 20, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ctrip Group, Asia’s largest online travel agency, signed a strategic partnership agreement with Okura Nikko Hotel Management to promote Japan and the hotel group by launching an exclusive Okura Nikko flagship store.

Okura Nikko Hotel Management will be the first hotel group in Japan to sign a partnership agreement with Ctrip, whose international hotel business just completed a successful second quarter, with a growth rate that doubled that of the China outbound traffic growth in the same period.

Based on the philosophy of omotenashi (hospitality), Hotel Okura Tokyo has welcomed guests from around the world for over 50 years, and Okura Nikko Hotel Management, as an international hotel chain operator from Japan, is striving to provide Chinese guests with an extraordinary travel experience.

By signing this partnership agreement, Ctrip agrees to welcome Okura Nikko Hotel Management’s three popular hotel chains Okura Hotels & Resorts, Nikko Hotels International and Hotel JAL City as a flagship store on its Chinese website and mobile app. Such flagship stores were first introduced in the first half of 2018 and allow customers, after registering a membership with each hotel, to book rooms at a price limited to members, as well as enjoy a wide range of benefits. While at present limited to hotels in Japan, around 70 of Okura Nikko Hotel Management’s hotels in cities around the globe will join the flagship store in the near future and exclusive deals will be offered via Okura Nikko Hotel’s membership service One Harmony.

The signing ceremony was held on September 20th at The Okura Tokyo, and was attended by Okura Nikko Hotel Management Board Director Mr. Masato Ikeda, and Ctrip Vice President Mr. David Zhou.

“It is an honor for us to become partners with a company that has such a big influence on the Chinese travel market. We have been expanding in Japan and Asia, and I hope that this agreement will contribute to the growth of our business,” said Okura Nikko Hotel Management Board Director Mr. Masato Ikeda, and Ctrip Vice President Mr. David Zhou added, “Through this agreement, Ctrip users will not only be able to buy rooms at a member price set by Okura Nikko Hotel and enjoy the same treatment as Okura Nikko Hotel members, they will also be collecting Okura Nikko Hotel points. The number of tourists from China is increasing and so are the expectations towards Japan’s excellent service. This agreement will allow us to actively prepare and to provide even better services from the perspective of Chinese travelers.”

Ctrip has been promoting inbound tourism to Japan and has signed several agreements with various local governments, tourism bureaus and Japanese companies.

About Ctrip.com International, Ltd.

Ctrip.com International, Ltd. is a leading travel service provider of accommodation reservation, transportation ticketing, packaged tours and corporate travel management in China. It is the largest online consolidator of accommodations and transportation tickets in China in terms of transaction volume. Ctrip enables business and leisure travelers to make informed and cost-effective bookings by aggregating comprehensive travel related information and offering its services through an advanced transaction and service platform consisting of its mobile apps, Internet websites and centralized, toll-free, 24-hour customer service center. Ctrip also helps customers book vacation packages and guided tours. In addition, through its corporate travel management services, Ctrip helps corporate clients effectively manage their travel requirements. Since its inception in 1999, Ctrip has experienced substantial growth and become one of the best-known travel brands in China.

For further information, please contact:
International PR
Ctrip.com International, Ltd.
Tel: (+86) 21 3406 4880 ext 196455
Email: [email protected]

About Hotel Okura Co., Ltd. and Okura Nikko Hotel Management Co., Ltd.

Hotel Okura Co., Ltd., founded in 1958, opened its flagship Hotel Okura Tokyo in 1962. Hotel Okura has extensive expertise in the hospitality world, including asset ownership and hotel development, as well as hotel management, restaurant business and chain operations through its subsidiaries and other group companies. The brand unites member hotels under its “Best Accommodation, Cuisine and Service” philosophy to ensure that all guests enjoy Okura’s signature hospitality, which combines Japanese attention to detail and Western functionality. The subsidiary Okura Nikko Hotel Management Co., Ltd. operates 70 properties (45 in Japan and 25 overseas) encompassing some 22,158 guest rooms (as of June 1, 2019) under three hotel groups: Okura Hotels & Resorts, Nikko Hotels International and Hotel JAL City.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e9e495f4-893e-4049-b8b7-59ef2843093d