CHICAGO (January 13, 2022) – Keyestone Group, a Hong Kong-based conglomerate focused on the development and management of high-quality premier projects in the Greater China region, and Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE:H), a leading global hospitality company, today announced plans for China’s first Hello Kitty Hotel in Sanya, Hainan. The hotel will be developed by the Keyestone Group and added to the JdV by Hyatt brand. It is expected to open by 2025 as part of the Sanya Hello Kitty Resort – the first Hello Kitty theme park in Hainan Province.
A vibrant addition to the JdV by Hyatt collection of independent properties, the hotel will feature 221 rooms and villas adorned with Hello Kitty designs and other well-known and beloved Sanrio characters. Embracing the JdV by Hyatt brand, Sanya Hello Kitty Hotel will also be home to an exciting range of world-class amenities, including three signature restaurants and bar, a themed ballroom, a swimming pool and state-of-the-art spa and a fitness center, inviting guests to celebrate the joy of life while indulging in a truly special and whimsical stay.
To be built within the 52-acre Sanya Hello Kitty Resort, the hotel will offer guests and visitors an immersive and memorable experience intimately connected to and reflective of the theme park, enabling guests to live in the moment. Guests are invited to embark on their very own Sanrio journey with enchanting interactive experiences, brought to life by innovative design and technology, and engaging story-telling elements that will appeal to Sanrio fans of all ages and cater to the growing demand for family-oriented tourism and hospitality offerings. The hotel will also offer seasonal events, activities and menus to celebrate key festivals with guests throughout the year.
Jeffery Pun, Chief Executive Officer of Keyestone Group, said, “As Keyestone Group continues to grow our hospitality portfolio across Greater China, we are excited to extend our collaboration with Hyatt. Sanya Hello Kitty Hotel will leverage our respective strengths in developing and managing world-class hospitality projects to offer guests a truly unique experience as they unwind and rejuvenate with their favourite Sanrio characters. We believe that the hotel and Sanya Hello Kitty Resort will become icons in Hainan’s tourism landscape and enable us to tap the growing demand for high-quality travel experiences in this region.”
Stephen Ho, president of Growth and Operations, Asia Pacific of Hyatt, said, “We are delighted to be working with Keyestone Group and are grateful to them for entrusting Hyatt with the first Hello Kitty-themed hotel in this fast-growing market and expand our brand portfolio in China. We look forward to bringing to life well-loved Sanrio characters in this exciting new project, which will retain a unique identity while providing the JdV by Hyatt brand’s signature guest experience that is inclusive, free-spirited and distinguished by heartfelt and joy-driven service.”
An intellectual property licensing agreement was signed between Keyestone Group and Sanrio (Shanghai) International Trade Co., Ltd. in July 2019, granting Keyestone Group access to more than 400 trademark Sanrio characters, many of whom will be featured in the Sanya Hello Kitty Resort and Hotel. Sanya Hello Kitty Hotel will be the second Hyatt-branded hotel located in Hainan that Keyestone Group has been involved in developing, alongside the award-winning Grand Hyatt Sanya Haitang Bay Resort & Spa, which opened in 2016. This is in addition to several milestone projects by Keyestone Group that are contributing to Hainan’s vibrant tourism landscape and boosting its profile as a travel destination of choice.
The term “Hyatt” is used in this release for convenience to refer to Hyatt Hotels Corporation and/or one or more of its affiliates.
About JdV by Hyatt
A community for the spirited, the light-hearted, the young-at-heart, JdV by Hyatt offers a collection of vibrant, independent hotels that are true reflections of the urban neighborhoods we call home. Embracing our namesake (joie de vivre), JdV by Hyatt invites guests and locals alike to connect, live in the moment and celebrate the joy of life. Each hotel provides an experience that is inclusive in spirit and space, inviting all to make each stay yours truly. Follow @JDVHotels on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for news and updates. For more information, please visit www.jdvbyhyatt.com.
About Keyestone Group
Keyestone Group is a Hong Kong-based conglomerate, focused on the development and management of high-quality premier projects spanning the Greater China region, including large-scale residential, commercial mixed-use, service apartments, resorts and hotels, and cultural tourism landmarks.
The Group is established in 1970 by renowned entrepreneur Mr. Benson Pun, who is of Hainan descent. Keyestone Group has strong ties to the island province and has been operating there since 2005. The Group has developed Grand Hyatt Sanya Haitang Bay Resort & Spa in Sanya, Hainan in 2016. It is also leading the development of the Sanya Hello Kitty Resort, which will be the first theme park with an international cartoon character intellectual property in Sanya, to fulfil the growing demand for family-style tourism and entertainment in China.
Keyestone Group launched the Keyestone Charity Foundation in partnership with the Hainan Medical Salvation Foundation in 2020, with a key focus on charity missions and care projects for abandoned children in the province.
Keyestone Group began its foray into the world of business with Kent Knitters Limited, one of the largest knitwear manufacturers in Hong Kong, with a client list of over 70 global brands.
About Hyatt Hotels Corporation
Hyatt Hotels Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global hospitality company guided by its purpose – to care for people so they can be their best. As of September 30, 2021, Hyatt’s portfolio included more than 1,000 hotel and all-inclusive properties in 69 countries across six continents, and the acquisition of Apple Leisure Group added 96 properties in 10 countries as of November 1, 2021. Hyatt’s offerings include the Park Hyatt®, Miraval®, Grand Hyatt®, Alila®, Andaz®, The Unbound Collection by Hyatt®, Destination by Hyatt™, Hyatt Regency®, Hyatt®, Hyatt Ziva™, Hyatt Zilara™, Thompson Hotels®, Hyatt Centric®, Caption by Hyatt, JdV by Hyatt™, Hyatt House®, Hyatt Place®, UrCove, and Hyatt Residence Club® brands, as well as resort and hotel brands under the AMR™ Collection, including Secrets® Resorts & Spas, Dreams® Resorts & Spas, Breathless® Resorts & Spas, Zoëtry® Wellness & Spa Resorts, Alua® Hotels & Resorts, and Sunscape® Resorts & Spas. Hyatt’s subsidiaries operate the World of Hyatt® loyalty program, ALG Vacations®, Unlimited Vacation Club®, Amstar DMC destination management services, and the Trisept Solutions® travel technology platform. For more information, please visit www.hyatt.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Forward-Looking Statements in this press release, which are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Our actual results, performance or achievements may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “may,” “could,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “seek,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” “likely,” “will,” “would” and variations of these terms and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by us and our management, are inherently uncertain. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to, risks associated with the consummation of the Apple Leisure Group (“ALG”) acquisition, including the related incurrence of material additional indebtedness; our ability to successfully integrate ALG's employees and operations into ours; the ability to realize the anticipated benefits of the acquisition of ALG as rapidly or to the extent anticipated; the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and the pace of recovery following the pandemic, any additional resurgence, or COVID-19 variants; the short and longer-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the demand for travel, transient and group business, and levels of consumer confidence; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, any additional resurgence, or COVID-19 variants, and the impact of actions that governments, businesses, and individuals take in response, on global and regional economies, travel limitations or bans, and economic activity, including the duration and magnitude of its impact on unemployment rates and consumer discretionary spending; the broad distribution and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines and wide acceptance by the general population of such vaccines; the ability of third-party owners, franchisees, or hospitality venture partners to successfully navigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, any additional resurgence, or COVID-19 variants; general economic uncertainty in key global markets and a worsening of global economic conditions or low levels of economic growth; the rate and the pace of economic recovery following economic downturns; global supply chain constraints and interruptions; risks affecting the luxury, resort, and all-inclusive lodging segments; levels of spending in business, leisure, and all-inclusive segments as well as consumer confidence; declines in occupancy and average daily rate; limited visibility with respect to future bookings; loss of key personnel; domestic and international political and geo-political conditions, including political or civil unrest or changes in trade policy; hostilities, or fear of hostilities, including future terrorist attacks, that affect travel; travel-related accidents; natural or man-made disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, wildfires, oil spills, nuclear incidents, and global outbreaks of pandemics or contagious diseases, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, or fear of such outbreaks; our ability to successfully achieve certain levels of operating profits at hotels that have performance tests or guarantees in favor of our third-party owners; the impact of hotel renovations and redevelopments; risks associated with our capital allocation plans, share repurchase program, and dividend payments, including a reduction in, or elimination or suspension of, repurchase activity or dividend payments; the seasonal and cyclical nature of the real estate and hospitality businesses; changes in distribution arrangements, such as through internet travel intermediaries; changes in the tastes and preferences of our customers; relationships with colleagues and labor unions and changes in labor laws; the financial condition of, and our relationships with, third-party property owners, franchisees, and hospitality venture partners; the possible inability of third-party owners, franchisees, or development partners to access capital necessary to fund current operations or implement our plans for growth; risks associated with potential acquisitions and dispositions and the introduction of new brand concepts; the timing of acquisitions and dispositions, and our ability to successfully integrate completed acquisitions with existing operations; failure to successfully complete proposed transactions (including the failure to satisfy closing conditions or obtain required approvals); our ability to successfully execute on our strategy to expand our management and franchising business while at the same time reducing our real estate asset base within targeted timeframes and at expected values; declines in the value of our real estate assets; unforeseen terminations of our management or franchise agreements; changes in federal, state, local, or foreign tax law; increases in interest rates and operating costs; foreign exchange rate fluctuations or currency restructurings; lack of acceptance of new brands or innovation; general volatility of the capital markets and our ability to access such markets; changes in the competitive environment in our industry, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, industry consolidation, and the markets where we operate; our ability to successfully grow the World of Hyatt loyalty program and ALG's membership offering; cyber incidents and information technology failures; outcomes of legal or administrative proceedings; violations of regulations or laws related to our franchising business; and other risks discussed in the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including our annual report on Form 10-K and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, which filings are available from the SEC. These factors are not necessarily all of the important factors that could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by any of our forward-looking statements. We caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which are made only as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to update publicly any of these forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, new information or future events, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable law. If we update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Siân Rylander
Hyatt
sian.rylander@hyatt.com
Jean Miu
Hyatt – Greater China
jean.miu@hyatt.com
Annie Wang
Sandpiper Communications
annie.wang@sandpipercomms.com