The newly-opened Langham Hotel, is a truly special hotel and I was fortunate to have a guided tour from MARCOM manager extraordinaire, Tony Wang. Renovated from the famous Yangtze Hotel, an Art Deco icon from the 1920’s, the Langham is the only hotel I’ve visited in China that ... Read more »

Just a Rebound

Everybody loves a good rebound, don't they? According to an article in Chinastakes.com**, the real estate market in Shanghai is experiencing one of its own. Reportedly, during the first two weeks of March, the trading volumes of commercial residential housing hit a 70-week high point ... Read more »

Breeze from Overseas

Sophia Xia, owner of Super City Group, offers insights into the overseas property market

CW: Given the current economic climate, why consider investing overseas?

Sophia Xia: In Shanghai, it's a prevailing trend that rich people who have already invested and owned two or more residential properties ... Read more »

History by Joseph Stiglitz

The other weekend I attended Three Talk at Three on the Bund with Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz. Drawing parallels between past and present was a recurring theme, but what I found interesting was that during the Great Depression, the U.S. federal government introduced stimulus programs ... Read more »

Despite uncertainties about the state of the economy, a number of developers in Shanghai continue to wax optimistic about the long-term, seeing Expo 2010 as a beacon that will keep local commerce alive and kicking. They're hedging their bets and hoping to snag properties at bargain rates. For example ... Read more »

Buy Chinese

The Trade Downturn

As I was recently skimming the All Roads Lead to China blog, a note about the Shanghai Trade Expo caught my eye. Richard Brubaker made a note that while foreign attendance at the Expo was only down by 5 percent, orders were down by nearly ... Read more »

Power Play

Shanghai Phoenix Property Agency Managing Director Jan Flohr tells us how the current economic climate is affecting rents and tenant / landlord relationships in serviced offices.

City Weekend: Who would you say has a stronger position of power right now? Office and serviced office providers, or tenants?

Jan Flohr ... Read more »

Put a Box in It

Carson Block set up a self-storage company, Love Box Self Storage in Shanghai and shares a few tips on how we can store our extra "stuff".

City Weekend: So what exactly can people store with you?

Carson Block: Businesses can store inventory, samples, files, furniture ... Read more »

The MICE Trap

Hyatt on the Bund's resident manager Peter Hildebrand tells us what hotels can offer to those in the MICE industry.

City Weekend: What is MICE?

Peter Hildebrand: MICE is an acronym for "Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events." In the hospitality industry, this is one of the ... Read more »

While "we'll see" is the common answer one gets when asking how the financial crisis is affecting real estate markets, in the case of office spaces, the numbers seem to be slowly adding up into a telling story. A China Daily article I recently read says days are gloomy ... Read more »

With so many people coming and going these days, we turned to Dominica Darrington, client & community relationship manager of Crown Worldwide, to tell us how relocation companies can help ease the transition

CW: What sort of services does your relocation company offer?

We help individuals and families prepare for a ... Read more »

The question on everyone's mind as we enter 2009 is a pretty obvious one. How is the Global Financial Crisis going to affect the real estate and financial markets? China seems to have stymied the initial tide quite well, but most experts I speak to agree that the real ... Read more »

Hedge Your Bets

CW:How is the real estate market being affected by the Global Financial Crisis?

Joanna Tan: It's not as severe as people imagine. People have been expecting large price reductions, but it actually hasn't been that much, about a 5-10 percent drop in expat compounds ... Read more »

If you've ever done the trek out to the F1 racetrack, you know it's a pretty long (and expensive) haul. Luckily, construction began mid-December on a segment of Metro Line 11 which will link the Jiading District and F1 racetrack in the northwest all the way to Nanhui ... Read more »

While the global financial crisis exacts a toll on the world markets, Shanghai's expressways are exacting the usual highway tolls on Shanghai drivers--electronically. Electronic toll collection is now being introduced in Shanghai and the Yangtse River Delta region. Nearly 30 percent of the city's toll booths have been ... Read more »

Salley Huang, general manager of The One Center, tells us about the new One Center and how serviced offices can help save costs during these tight financial times.

CW: The One Center recently opened in Lujiazui. Can you tell us about it?

Sally Huang: The original purpose for opening this ... Read more »

The Shanghai Daily reports that work began just a few days ago on the west bank of the Huangpu River in Xuhui opposite the Expo site. The 3.25km stretch on Fengxi Lu will be the largest riverside remodeling of public space in the lead-up to the World Expo Shanghai ... Read more »

Report Card

It's time for a little update on the numbers. This past September, the vacancy rate for Grade A offices has shot up to between eight and nine percent, compared to three to four percent a year ago. Within 2008, this rate has edged up from less than ... Read more »

Who's investing overseas?

International investors with professional experiences will seek for overseas opportunities to invest in smaller sized residential properties located in prime Asia Pacific locations with steady real estate development like Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

Which market is a good one and what are the benefits ... Read more »

Business Partners

I've really only recently delved into the world of serviced properties, but let me tell you, they're a great option the next time you're traveling and working around the world. For example, the Ascott International Serviced Residences is currently running a winter promotion where you ... Read more »

Has the recent economic crisis affected the occupancy rate of serviced apartments?

Serviced apartments' [occupancy rates] are still relatively strong. The advantage for serviced apartments is the flexibility in accepting shorter leases. Many multinational companies are not willing to commit to a one-year lease, but prefer to rent for shorter ... Read more »

Moving on Up

More news from Savills: Not only is their property search engine now up and running, but congratulations goes out to them for the launch of a Hotels & Serviced Apartment division in China that now aims to provide clients with even more comprehensive and professional property consultancy services ... Read more »

I'm still confused by what "serviced" apartments are.

A typical international-class serviced residence combines "the best" of what you can find in a hotel and a condominium--the same services offered by a hotel, and furnished to ensure a home-like experience for guests.

Wouldn't it be expensive to stay ... Read more »