Fairmont makes exploring Beijing’s ancient Hutongs an app-ealing option for visitors (China)
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Fairmont makes exploring Beijing’s ancient Hutongs an app-ealing option for visitors (China)
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Category: Asia Pacific - China - Industry economy
- Trends / Expert's advice
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2011-10-27
– High-Tech Trek into the Past –
Introducing Fairmont Hotels & Resorts’ core commitments of environmental stewardship and responsible tourism into the Asian market is a natural for Fairmont Beijing as they encourage guests to trade in four wheels for two, and explore the city in a time-honored tradition – by bicycle.
Located in the hub of Beijing’s downtown core, the hotel is cycling distance from such well known landmarks as Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City as well as myriad bicycle routes guaranteed to keep guests gridlock-free and enjoying the sites.
For exploratory-types who continually seek the path less travelled, Fairmont Beijing developed a self-guided excursion into one of the city’s famed and fast-disappearing hutongs, located just a short distance from the hotel. Available in app format, the highly detailed map includes an audio commentary in English or Chinese, social media capabilities that let users directly share details on their experience, built-in recording feature and GPS to ensure all explorers find their way home. The tour was developed in conjunction with the Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center, a local NGO that works to preserve China’s cultural past.
The Heritage Biking Tour equips guests for a half day of exploration with an easy to follow map of the narrow alleys and passageways that continue to form the heart of Old Beijing. BMW mountain bicycles are provided by the hotel on a complimentary basis and the app is available as a free download from http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fairmont-hotel-beijing-biking/id467003293?mt=8.
The hotel’s approach to celebrating its city through the use of bicycles over automobiles encourages guests to think in terms of reducing their carbon footprint while at the same time supporting the discovery and preservation of a vital part of the city’s cultural heritage.
ABOUT FAIRMONT HOTELS & RESORTS
Located in world-class destinations around the globe, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is a celebrated collection of hotels that includes landmark locations like London’s The Savoy, New York’s The Plaza, and Shanghai’s Fairmont Peace Hotel. With more than 60 hotels, Fairmont is known as much for its warm, engaging service and culturally rich experiences, as its classic hotels that imbue a sense of heritage, sophistication and social importance and are often considered destinations in their own right. A community and environmental leader, Fairmont is also regarded for its responsible tourism practices and award-winning Green Partnership program. Fairmont is owned by FRHI Holdings Limited, a leading global hotel company with over 100 hotels under the Fairmont, Raffles, and Swissôtel brands. The company also manages Fairmont and Raffles branded estates and luxury private residence club properties.
ABOUT BEIJING CULTURAL HERITAGE PROTECTION CENTER
Founded in 2003, CHP is a registered Chinese NGO that works at the grass roots level to assist local communities to preserve tangible and intangible local culture through training and capacity building. CHP’s core competency lies in cultural heritage law and policy. Large portions of China’s rich cultural heritage are at risk due to low awareness and poor enforcement of heritage protection laws, as well as short-sighted policies that sacrifice cultural rights and values to short-term economic gain. Chinese government laws and policies in the field of cultural heritage protection are generally well-conceived, but are not well understood and are often poorly implemented. CHP has been established to address and tackle these issues.
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