Having promoted numerous travel products, I am most eager to see two types of feedback. One type is from our Yiyou shareholders, expressing satisfaction with hotels and smooth travels, with their families enjoying themselves. The other comes from the hotels themselves, with strong sales and profitability leading them to offer additional accommodation privileges. In essence, these two types of feedback reflect a beneficial cycle.
Do you remember last year’s Singles’ Day product sales champion? The hotel group that sent shivers down the spines of other hotel business developers was Kaiyuan Hotel, which sold a staggering 150 million in vouchers.
Currently, we are entering a small peak for spring travel, with the summer vacation peak on the horizon. We must attend to both sales and bookings, and Kaiyuan has been keeping an eye on this matter, so they approached us with plans to enhance the redemption benefits again!
Since we were already writing, we took the opportunity to communicate with Kaiyuan about available booking inventory. Let me explain: the hotel room inventory is divided between rooms allocated for OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) and those reserved for package deals. The biggest advantage of the Kaiyuan vouchers is that they can be used throughout the year at no extra charge during peak days such as Qingming, May Day, and summer vacation, resulting in many dates being booked out almost instantly upon release.
For our redemption documentation, Kaiyuan compiled statistics on previously booked-out popular time slots and replenished inventory accordingly. I have screenshots for proof. Those planning to travel soon should rush to make reservations as these will likely be booked up quickly!
As expected from last year’s top-selling item, it remains highly competitive! Moreover, many destinations are entering peak season in winter, making now the perfect time to enjoy the heightened value of redemption benefits. The A-shares may let you down, but the vouchers you hold just gain more value!
**Hangzhou Qiandao Lake Kaiyuan Resort**
The first thing to highlight is its popularity. We have been promoting several Qiandao Lake hotels, but summer vacation hotels without price hikes are extraordinarily rare! During the Singles’ Day redemption event, the first to get booked out was also the Qiandao Lake accommodations for summer, illustrating its desirability. All dates during summer vacation, including weekends, have had additional inventory released, so act fast to secure your spot.
Aside from summer, they have added benefits for weekdays (Sunday to Thursday) stays, including room upgrades and ticket options, making experiences richer for families while easing parents’ concerns.
The resort is located on Qilin Peninsula at Qiandao Lake, and on weekdays outside of summer, guests can enjoy free upgrades to lake-view rooms, which are priced nearly double compared to garden view rooms!
Moreover, this Kaiyuan property is a resort with excellent location and abundant facilities! In addition to the existing features, a new “Senbo Paradise” was added last year. The paradise is divided into three parts: the indoor Fantasy Island Automotive Town, the outdoor Cute Pets Park, and the Sensational Sports Ground, allowing for at least half a day of playtime in each area. If you think your kids will be bored staying here, come talk to me.
Fantasy Island Automotive Town spans over 3,000 square meters, offering a one-stop auto-themed amusement park, featuring two levels and more than ten play areas suitable for kids of various ages.
Cute Pets Park also covers 4,000 square meters, featuring eight zones including Bird Jungle, Squirrel Tribe, Guinea Pig Maze, Raccoon Realm, Alpaca Farm, Pine Deer Ranch, Bunny Land, and Adventure Zone, practically serving as a mini-zoo.
The Sensational Sports Ground is a newly upgraded non-powered playground that is just perfect for kids to expend their energy! Features include car slides, bouncy clouds, zip lines, treasure sand pits, and pine forest exploration, among many others.
For those lucky enough to grab summer vacation reservations, the resort also has an outdoor kids’ water park and an 800-square-meter lake-side swimming pool, complete with children’s spiral slides, water dumping barrels, climbing nets, and lotus sprinklers. Staying at this hotel at Qiandao Lake means you basically won’t need to leave the resort at all.
**Shaoxing Dayu Kaiyuan Guantang**
You don’t have to wait for summer vacation in Shaoxing; now is a great time! While it may not be as famous as Wuxi, the cherry blossoms in Shaoxing are meant to be appreciated by “insiders.” Places like Wanyue Mountain, Guozhu Lake, and Zhangcun Cherry Blossom Garden are perfect for taking beautiful photographs.
Coincidentally, the Dayu Kaiyuan Guantang is only a 10-minute drive from Wanyue Mountain, and the low season coincides with cherry blossom season, allowing guests to enjoy all sorts of privileges. Based on past experiences, the cherry blossoms should last until early April, so hurry to book!
This hotel belongs to the Kaiyuan Guantang series and appears more like an ancient village than a typical hotel, featuring white walls and blue tiles from the Ming and Qing dynasties, ancient opera stages, and the unique courtyards of Jiangnan that vividly present a palpable sense of history. I must say, in terms of location and cultural heritage, Kaiyuan certainly knows how to do it right.
This hotel has an excellent reputation, with numerous activities available. On a sunny spring day, guests can take a ride on a traditional boat or enjoy tie-dye and pottery workshops for a relaxing experience. Additionally, at the hotel’s Yuezhou Shuyuan, guests can listen to traditional Shaoxing opera.
Weekday stays include complimentary tickets to the kids’ play area. The children’s facilities at Dayu Kaiyuan Guantang are well-equipped, including a naughty castle, crafting space, AR experience room, and hands-on classrooms, allowing kids to play and learn simultaneously.
**Ningbo Shiqifang Kaiyuan**
Their redemption privileges are quite generous, allowing direct room upgrades to 70 square meter suites, which are not cheap; even with breakfast included, the cost exceeds 600 RMB. Originally priced at just 999 for three nights, the room upgrade makes it feel like an incredible bargain!
Much like Dayu Kaiyuan, Shiqifang is also a holiday hotel tucked away in an ancient town, located in Ningbo’s Zhenhai District. Guests at Shiqifang Kaiyuan Guantang receive tickets to the Shiqifang scenic area, allowing them to enter and exit the area freely. While the ancient town may not be large, it’s impressive for a single hotel to fully occupy such a historic site!
The scenic area is very serene, feeling as if it is reserved exclusively for hotel guests. Strolling around, taking photographs, and enjoying the ambiance of the area are quite pleasant. Sometimes, it’s hard to distinguish where the hotel ends and the scenic area begins!
This particular Guantang isn’t focused on natural scenery, but spring is still a great time, as various flowers bloom abundantly.
**Ningbo Jiulong Lake Kaiyuan**
At Jiulong Lake, the hotel offers crucial necessities with their redemption privileges, with the upgraded luxury mountain view rooms also typically costing over 600 RMB at regular prices. When calculated at 999 for three nights, their offers provide about a 50% discount. Kids will surely love the complimentary tickets to the SAM Paradise, and the conditions have been relaxed to include Friday check-ins.
This SAM Paradise is a large indoor children’s amusement park spanning 330 square meters across five levels, featuring bouncy castles, trampolines, and a total of 51 different play activities suitable for children aged 3 to 14.
The hotel is perfect for families with children. Besides the SAM Paradise, there’s an animal-feeding rooftop farm and a sand digging area, both of which are favorites among kids. A miniature horse farm and tent camping ground have also recently opened, and the entire resort covers an impressive 60,000 square meters with plenty of fun activities.
The water activities at Jiulong Lake are plentiful, set against a beautiful natural backdrop. However, the summer vacation inventory is almost fully booked, so it’s advisable to make arrangements for visits in May and June instead.
**Hangzhou Tianyu Kaiyuan Guantang**
The free additional breakfasts at Tianyu Kaiyuan have no age restrictions, meaning three adults can stay in one room comfortably.
The hotel is located in Hanzhou’s Xiaoshan Jinhua Town, built atop a mountain plateau. Surrounding the hotel is lush vegetation, featuring mountains, rivers, and white clouds. When morning fog settles, the hotel can feel as if it’s nestled in the clouds, fittingly earning its name “Tianyu” which conveys a sense of spirituality.
Hangzhou doesn’t have distinct tourism high or low seasons, but during spring, the greenery on the mountains transitions from barren to vibrant. Surely, the scenery must get more stunning!
What I find even more satisfying are the numerous activities organized at Tianyu Kaiyuan; there are simply too many to count! It might not be the latest version, but take a glance at the extensive offerings, which include numerous free events—truly a testament to their thoughtfulness.
If you’re looking to entertain kids, the hotel last year upgraded an outdoor energy-free children’s playground featuring large windmills, where kids can enjoy rowing and archery, along with a separate indoor children’s play area filled with activities galore. After a day of fun, come nightfall, guests can enjoy stargazing under the clear mountain skies, free from light pollution, yielding spectacular views.
**Shengzhou Kaiyuan Mingdu Hotel**
Shengzhou is a place worth visiting just for the food, especially with the convenience provided by the new high-speed railway. There are limited hotel choices, but Kaiyuan Mingdu is one of the best hotels in the area, with upgrades available to river-view rooms, ensuring an enhanced experience. Additionally, this hotel was established in 2022, promising good facilities.
Shengzhou is not far from Xinchang, making it feasible to explore both areas. The two share similar cuisines, especially with an abundance of snack varieties that are hard to count on two hands, such as fried noodles, rice cakes, taro dumplings, tofu buns, and lamb bones… The county towns of Zhejiang are a food paradise!
👉 Shengzhou: It’s been a substitute for “Hangzhou Soup Dumpling” for over ten years, truly a shining representative of Zhejiang cuisine!
👉 Xinchang: The snacks here are even denser than in Shengzhou—this little county in Shaoxing is impressive!
The hotel has a nice location, with Wuyue Plaza shopping center immediately next door, making it easy to explore Shengzhou for additional culinary delights. If arriving by high-speed train, the hotel is within a 15-minute drive from Shengzhou Station.
For those driving to Shengzhou, the season’s cherry blossom forest in Zhangcun is stunning at around 600 acres in full bloom. With delicious food and beautiful sights, it’s a feast for both the eyes and the palate.
**Jiaxing Luxi Hui Kaiyuan Guantang**
Weekday stays here also mean room upgrades plus complimentary tickets! Luxi Hui Kaiyuan Guantang, which opened in 2022, is offering prime usage time and is a great choice in Jiaxing city.
Their children’s play area is noteworthy; it is Jiaxing’s first 1,200-square-meter indoor themed play space, catering to the essential needs of letting kids have fun. Inspired by the Starry Space Station, this children’s area features elastic 3D mazes, giant ocean ball pits, trampoline spaces, and interactive projections, resulting in a thrilling experience for children. Ticket prices for the play area are approximately: 128 RMB for children and 48 RMB for accompanying adults.
Kaiyuan is seasoned in organizing activities, offering special children’s programming daily. The hotel’s cultural experience guides lead children in fun crafts, making outings with kids less stressful.
The hotel is located along the street and by the riverside, resembling a traditional Jiangnan town, with many options for dining and shopping in the nearby Moon River historical district.
👉 Jiaxing guide: Even Jin Yong couldn’t capture its deliciousness! Locals readily share a food exploration checklist with you!
**Taizhou Kaiyuan Grand Hotel**
Taizhou has been frequently featured in our guides, with its food-centric culture lacking obvious low seasons. Visiting before summer vacation allows guests to enjoy free room upgrades, making it an ideal time for a culinary expedition.
This Kaiyuan property is located in Taizhou’s Jiaojiang district. Don’t underestimate any area or town in Taizhou; besides the popular eateries brought to fame by Xinyongji in Linyi and the captivating flavors of Wenzhou, the culinary skills of the people from Jiaojiang should not be overlooked, particularly since the dining experience tends to be more pleasant without long waits.
👉 Jiaojiang cuisine: A haven for food lovers in Zhejiang, with a single district offering enough delights for a trip to last three days and two nights!
Jiaojiang is relatively small, and while the Taizhou Kaiyuan hotel may be a bit older (opened in 2002), it occupies a prime location surrounded by an abundance of delicious eateries, all a stone’s throw away from the high-speed railway station.
**Xuzhou Kaiyuan Mingdu Hotel**
Xuzhou does not have a pronounced off-peak tourism season, and currently, I see plenty of available inventory. The hotel environment is superb, located right by Yunlong Lake, with room upgrades and afternoon tea included with weekday stays—making it perfect for weekend getaways.
The afternoon tea in the executive lounge may be simple, but the view is great. The outdoor terrace faces Yunlong Lake, and on nice days, enjoying afternoon tea there is delightful.
We recently visited Xuzhou, and both its museums and barbecue spots are definitely worth a try. Moreover, the high-speed train from Shanghai to Xuzhou takes only three hours, and the hotel is within a 20-minute drive to Xuzhou Museum and Xuzhou Amusement Park, offering excellent convenience for weekend trips.
**Changchun Kaiyuan Mingdu Hotel**
