After a hiatus of nearly 7 years, Hilton Hotel has returned to the center of Shanghai. On June 28, 1988, China's first Hilton hotel opened in Shanghai, located at the intersection of Huashan Road in Jing'an District. At that time, it was the first international five-star hotel operated by foreign capital in Shanghai, and its significance to the Chinese hotel market was self-evident. In the 1990s, American pop superstar Whitney Houston came to China to perform, and her agency booked 180 rooms in one go. In 2002, Agassi, Hewitt, and Federer, who came to Shanghai for the first time to participate in the Tennis Masters Cup, also chose to stay here. At that time, the Hilton Hotel in Shanghai was synonymous with "style", and the stories related to it also carried the common memory of a generation of Shanghainese. At the end of 2017, due to the expiration of the management contract, Hilton Shanghai, which had been in operation for 29 years, withdrew its license and temporarily closed its doors. Now, after more than a year of renovation, the Hilton Hotel in Shanghai center has entered the trial operation stage about one kilometer away from the former site of the Hilton Hotel. It is expected to officially open in September, which is also a landmark event for the Hilton brand to return to the central city of Shanghai. In addition to this Hilton hotel in the city, Hilton Group has a series of opening activities in Shanghai this year, located at Hongqiao Airport, Zhangjiang High tech Park, and Jing'an District Shibei High tech Service Park. In addition, a new Hilton hotel will be opened in Shanghai Hongqiao. When talking about the opening of hotels under the Hilton Group, Qian Jin, President of Hilton Greater China and Mongolia, said, "This year is a big year, and next year will be the same." Since entering the Chinese market, Hilton Group's investment in China has never stopped. Next year, the Waldorf Astoria hotel under the Hilton Group will open in the Qiantan area of Shanghai, making Shanghai the second city in the world after Dubai to have two Waldorf Astoria hotels at the same time. Not only that, a larger layout is on the way. Qian Jin revealed that focusing on the supporting facilities around the amusement park resort will be a major focus of Hilton Group's investment strategy in China. For example, on the north side of Shanghai Disney Resort, a Hilton hotel and a Hilton Joy Inn will be opened in the future; In Jinshan District of Shanghai, adjacent to the LEGO Park Resort, the Hilton Joy Inn Shanghai Colorful Lane will also be opened; In Changxing Island, Shanghai Hilton Garden Hotel Changxing Island is also under construction. This hotel is adjacent to the first outdoor theme park of Peppa Pig in Asia. Such intensive investment is not common for foreign-funded enterprises. Qian Jin believes that "Shanghai is worth it" for such a "large-scale, large-scale" layout. The Chinese market is particularly large, with different regions and customers. The Shanghai market is a microcosm of the Chinese market, "Qian Jin said. Shanghai is a city that is at the forefront and open, with a relatively fast update of knowledge, a high level of legal system, and greater ability to update and innovate. From another perspective, Shanghai reflects China's soft power. Whether it's technology or finance, Shanghai is top-notch, so the group attaches great importance to Shanghai. "Hilton Group does have a commitment to China and will definitely further develop in China. For five consecutive years, Hilton Group has been expanding in China at a rate of adding 100 new hotels every year, and this year the speed is even faster. On August 16th, Hilton Group celebrated the milestone of opening its 700th hotel in China in Chongqing. Qian Jin refers to this expansion speed as the "Chinese speed". "We know that China's high-speed rail is very powerful and fast in the world, and we are the same in China. We need to keep up with this Chinese speed," he said. (New Society)