Hospitality & Leisure

China’s hospitality and leisure industry was not only one of the fastest growing before the COVID-19 pandemic, it was also one of the fastest to recover, albeit taking on new dimensions. Shifts in the nature of demand and consumer priorities, added regulatory focus and enlarged space for technology are further transforming the industry. Getting ahead of such trends is key to business players’ success, and China is a unique playing ground.

DaHui is in the vanguard of legal counsel for local and international hotel brands, developers, investors and service providers. Our attorneys have helped businesses set up and grow in the China market, whether brick-and-mortar establishments, online-only operations or anywhere in between. We are always at the forefront of defending business interests in efficient civil dispute resolution and sensitive government investigations and actions. And our M&A and restructuring teams know all the ins and outs of the hospitality market. In recent years, businesses have come to depend on our tech, regulatory and employment practices, particularly to weather the pandemic and continue to develop.

The uniqueness of China’s hospitality market has been highlighted by its consistent rebounding – consistently quick and consistently uniform across all classes. Both for business (meetings, incentives, conferencing and exhibitions) and for leisure (hotels, rented and serviced apartments, casinos and resorts, etc.), domestic demand has not only revived but even been reinforced through various regulatory measures. China’s tech-savvy population and world-leading e-commerce and other technologies have been conducive to accelerating the digital and automation transformation of the hospitality industry. The pre-existing food-and-beverage synergies (once, along with spas, comprising almost half of hotel revenues) remain major opportunities, although they are more in need of tech and business innovation to realize post-pandemic potentials. All the while, brands carry on consolidations around the world, with the pre-pandemic demand to bring more Chinese names and characteristics worldwide still up for grabs.

As travelers are growing not only in numbers but also sophistication, not only infrastructure but also service and the very culture of hospitality must keep pace. DaHui is well-integrated in the avant-garde of that culture, allowing us to synch both with the realities, practices and trends of the regulatory environment and with clients’ business operations and objectives. Whether a venture is facing risks from a challenging legal, political or socio-medical environment or taking advantage of opportunities from technological or business innovation, we are here to help the venture arrive smoothly at its preferred destination.