Hotel Jen caters to a modern generation who seeks flexibility. Photo: Courtesy of Hotel Jen

Traders Hotel Upper East Beijing is officially rebranding itself to Hotel Jen Upper East Beijing, the first of its kind in the Chinese mainland. They celebrated with a rebranding ceremony on March 4.

Branded by Shangri-La International Hotel Management Ltd, Hotel Jen caters to what they call a "new jen-eration" of independent-minded business and leisure travelers. The recent launch is considered a significant milestone and highlights Shangri-La's long-term commitment to the China market.

Inspired by a virtual person named Jen, a professional hotelier who loves life, travel and the adventure of discovering new places, Hotel Jen provides travelers greater flexibility to blend boundaries between business and leisure.

"True to the new brand, the Hotel Jen Upper East Beijing team is embracing the changing demands of China's more independently minded travelers, and we are proud to introduce the Hotel Jen brand to key cities in China to meet the needs of our new and existing Chinese customers," Greg Dogan, President and CEO of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, said.

At the ceremony, Alan Ang, General Manager of Hotel Jen Upper East Beijing, said that although the Traders brand has had 25 years of success in generating solid business, they are eyeing the future of the industry.

"Based on extensive consumer research and insight into the way our target customers live and travel, we are recognizing and responding to global travel trends among the new generation of travelers for the next 20 years to come," he said. Ang said young, millennial travelers are the focus market for this new brand, and that Hotel Jen's values are fun, friendliness and fuss-free simplicity.

Hotel Jen has the same decoration and facilities as Traders Hotel Upper East Beijing, but there are noteworthy changes. The new brand is aimed at making guests feel like they are staying with a friend, so guests may notice differences in in-room and restaurant dining options, which feature fresh local products selected for flavor, fusion and fun. For added convenience, the hotel features a vending machine with beverage and snack items priced at convenience store levels.

Free Wi-Fi and convenient mobile charging stations are now in the hotel, as well as access to more than 2,500 online publications through the PressReader app, replacing the traditional morning newspaper.

Simple pleasures, such as a laundry wash-and-fold service for unlimited items in a laundry bag for a flat fee, complimentary fruit-infused waters and signature iced teas in the summer, and free coffee and grab-and-go breakfast offerings allow guests to get on with the things they care about most - life, travel and discovery.