SHANGHAI – The Shanghai Shahai International Hotel was designated as the only hotel for the upcoming summit forum on tourism development by the Asia-Pacific Tourism Union on Wednesday.

Huang Pengren (right), vice president of the Asia-Pacific Tourism Union, awards a honorary certificate to Wang Weibing (left), chairman of Shanghai Shahai Industry Co Ltd at the soft opening of Shanghai Shahai International Hotel on Wednesday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A ceremony was held during the soft opening of the hotel to present a honorary certificate to Wang Weibing, chairman of Shanghai Shahai Industry Co Ltd.

"The certificate will be a strong stimulus not only to the hotel's development but to the growth of Pudong's tourism industry," said Huang Pengren, vice president of the union.

The 18-storey hotel, located at Pudong's Huinan Town where the Shanghai Peach Flower Festival is held once a year, is the only landmark hotel facility in the region to meet the needs of growing numbers of tourists, said Huang.

It took a 300 million yuan investment from Shanghai Shahai Industry Co Ltd to create the facility, that includes 180 rooms and suites and a 1,700-square-meter banquet hall, said Wang.

The hotel, designed in a European classic style and decorated in a modern way, is managed by Shanghai Peng Ren Hotel Management Co, and employs new management concepts, said Huang.

"We try to turn it into a new hotel model in the city's Pudong area by using advanced management," he said.