Marco Polo Hotels launches a new luxury brand, Niccolo

The new luxury brand, Niccolo by Marco Polo, will be a collection of contemporary urban chic hotels to be opened in some of China's most highly prized addresses.

Marco Polo Hotels, the Hong Kong-based hotel management company of The Wharf (Holdings) Limited, announced the launch of its first new brand since the hotel group's inception in 1986. The new luxury brand, Niccolo by Marco Polo, will be a collection of contemporary urban chic hotels to be opened in some of China's most highly prized addresses, before expanding beyond the borders of China. The first Niccolo hotel will open in early 2015 within the newly opened International Finance Square (IFS) Chengdu in China's Sichuan province. Three additional Niccolo hotels are set to open in Chongqing, Changsha and Suzhou.

Speaking about the continued expansion of Marco Polo Hotels, Mr Stephen Ng, Deputy Chairman and Managing Director of The Wharf (Holdings) Limited said, "Late last year, Marco Polo Hotels announced our expansion plans across Asia Pacific. The launch of Niccolo by Marco Polo in Chengdu is an integral part of this growth strategy and evidence of our belief in the continued potential of business and leisure travel across the region. The current 12 months mark a significant milestone for our company, with the most hotel openings in a decade, including the newest success story, Marco Polo Ortigas, Manila opening on July 9th. In addition, our spectacular Marco Polo Changzhou set in 19 acres of beautiful landscaped gardens is opening in the third quarter of this year, and our highly anticipated Niccolo Chengdu is due to open in early 2015."

Marco Polo Hotels currently operate 12 owned or managed upscale full-service hotels throughout Hong Kong, China and the Philippines. The Group has a further 8 hotels announced or currently under development, with 3 new hotels scheduled to open in the next 12 months.