"We are eagerly awaiting and pro-actively preparing for the Chinese market," said Frank Camacho, ITT Sheraton Corporation vice president and director of sales and marketing for North America.
Camacho said some hotels, tour and travel operators in New York and Orlando are working hard to develop new products and services, offering items like millennium sunrise packages on top of the Empire State Building.
"In general, cities that go out of their way to continually reinvent their attractions are more successful in commanding return visits from the Asian market," Camacho said.
The Japanese have already been wooed with a "Japanese floor" with separate bilingual check-in, lounge and concierge services, and rooms equipped with special amenities like teapots at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers. Japanese speaking salespeople and operations staff are also on duty.