Swire Hotels launched back in 2008 and overseas a collection of urban hotels in Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and the US. Here we speak with Toby Smith, Deputy Chairman of the company to discuss the two hotel brands, how they look for new properties and what their aspirations are in the future.
Swire Hotels is a group of individual hotel brands that set out to craft extraordinary hospitality experiences for its guests, doing this through its two brands, The House Collective and EAST. The House Collective includes The Upper House in Hong Kong, The Temple House in Chengdu and The Middle House in Shanghai, whilst EAST has locations in Hong Kong, Beijing and Miami.
The House Collective is an award-winning group of highly individual luxury houses made for seasoned travellers who seek a different, intimate and personalised experience. The three houses are each uniquely imagined, all with their own story to tell, reflecting the soul and aesthetics of the locale.
On the other hand, EAST was envisioned as a playful “business playground” for travellers who want different, more relaxed and more interesting options compared to the typical business hotel. The brand has today evolved into that of a sophisticated yet relaxed premium lifestyle brand with an authentic connection to its communities.
“Looking forward, The House Collective has exciting expansion plans, both in China and across Asia. A House is due to open in the heart of Shenzhen Bay in 2027 followed by another in Xi’an in 2028,” explains Toby Smith, Deputy Chairman of Swire Hotels. “Marking the brand’s debut outside of China, in 2029 The House Collective has plans to open a House in the historical city of Tokyo. Furthermore, EAST Hotels have three new properties in the pipeline, located in Australia, Japan and the Chinese Mainland.”
Discussing new markets for the company, Smith highlights that the UK and the US are major strategic locations, saying that their first outpost in the west was EAST Miami, which opened in 2016 and has since proved to be a great success, so expanding to New York and LA for example is something Swire Hotels is looking ahead to. “The Upper House also has a big UK demographic and has proved especially popular with the expat community in Hong Kong, so we would love to bring something similar over to London,” Smith comments.
“Our adaptability and consistency of excellent service is I believe one of the key drivers behind our success. Guest’s needs are ever changing and it is imperative that we keep up with changing tides.”
Swire Hotels was born in Hong Kong, which has an exceptionally diverse population, with a dynamic mix of cultures that have influenced their approach to hospitality. This is what the business is looking for when on the hunt for new properties. Individuality and diversity are a huge part of Swire Hotels’ spirit, so they are naturally drawn to cultural and cosmopolitan hubs like Shanghai, Chengdu and Miami.
A major part of the company’s ethos is sustainability. By next year, their goal is to cut down on energy usage per guest a night across all their properties by 19 per cent and by 2030, reduce it even further by 26 per cent.
“Did you know that on average, a person uses up to 100 litres of water per day, sometimes even more during their travels? Hotels can play a significant role in water conservation and we would like to be at the forefront of that change. Through tackling water efficiency at all our properties, we are working towards reducing water intensity in all our properties by eight per cent by 2025 and 12 per cent by 2030,” Smith highlights.
“Sustainable travel is becoming more and more important and it is imperative that brands adapt to this. We have an array of sustainability initiatives at present and will only be expanding on this in the coming years to make sure our hotels remain green.”
The nature of the service Swire Hotels offers is unscripted, as they want to engage with guests in a more natural way and provide an extremely personalised service. Their staff pays attention to their guests, they are interested in them and treat them as valued individuals. Smith comments that the modern traveller is not interested in robotic service anymore and guests want charm and character and this is what they strive to provide across their properties.
“Our adaptability and consistency of excellent service is I believe one of the key drivers behind our success. Guest’s needs are ever changing and it is imperative that we keep up with changing tides,” Smith mentions.
Swire Hotels has consistently set itself apart in the hospitality industry through its commitment to its people. They encourage their team members to be themselves, to think differently and deliver an unscripted style of service. Furthermore, both The House Collective and EAST Hotels celebrate originality and independent spirit, which is at the heart of Swire Hotels.
“We want our guests to associate our two brands with individuality, sophisticated design and amazing service,” Smith concludes.
