The hotel's current manager and former long-time Tibetan deputy general manager Mr Jigme said since August, the hotel had been operated by local owner Tibet Tourist Bureau and negotiations were now well underway with internationally-known hotel chains.
Industry sources reckon Hilton, Hyatt and ITT Sheraton have strong interest in the Lhasa property, no doubt to fuel expansion in the wider China market.
Holiday Hospitality has been taking a stronger stance on physical quality, and renovation was an issue for Lhasa, according to corporate marketing director Susan Reingold. The hotel, well-known for its Yak burgers and western-style facilities, was a springboard for Holiday Inn's expansion in China in the late 1980s. The hotel group came under attack from international pressure groups unhappy with the Holiday Inn presence and Chinese-rule in Tibet.
Jigme emphasised there were no changes at the hotel apart from the departure of three foreign expatriate staff.
As the sole foreign-managed top-class property in Lhasa, the hotel is busy only three months a year with 65 per cent of business concentrated in the summer tourist season. Occupancy dips from 90 per cent to 15-20 per cent in the low, harshly cold winter season. Jigme said revenue and occupancies improved this year, with more tourists visiting Tibet.
The Tibet Tourist Bureau, a government organisation, has the foresight to see the value of a foreign hotel presence in Lhasa . "An international brand will be very good for promotion. No matter what kind of management style, we will welcome it and try our best to co-operate for the benefit of both sides," said Jigme.