ABSTRACT
As China’s first economy hotel brand, Jinjiang Inn is affiliated to Shanghai Jinjiang International Hotels (Group) Company Limited, a well-known state-owned hotel group. Jinjiang Inn was founded in Shanghai, China, in May 1996. Since then, it has developed steadily into a hotel chain operating a total of 679 hotels with over 82,600 rooms as of 30 November 2012 (Securities Times, 2012). In 2007, Jinjiang Inn launched a product concept among economy hotels – the green hotel – which pays more attention to saving resources and reducing carbon emissions, and actively fulfils its corporate social responsibility of constructing a conservation-oriented society, thus leading the development trend of domestic economy hotels. Jinjiang Inn has received recognition for its particular focus on customers’ lodging experiences through providing effective hotel service to meet customers’ basic needs. As a recognised quality brand, Jinjiang Inn has contributed substantially to the development of China’s economy hotel industry. Jinjiang Inn is also acting as a pioneer in expanding its business into the overseas market and exploring the way of internationalisation for China’s economy hotels. So far, Jinjiang Inn has successively made inroads into three overseas markets in the Philippines, France, and Korea through brand licensing, brand alliance, and franchising.
