Beidahu Ski Resort on Changbai Mountain in Jilin province attracts a multitude of skiers on Nov 23. [Photo/Xinhua]

Hospitality sector in Jilin province gears up for influx of winter visitors

As the snow season approaches, hotels and tourist resorts in Jilin province are striving to create new consumption scenarios for visitors by integrating local elements such as powder snow, hot springs, rime ice, and folk customs to enhance products, experiences and services.

In Naitoushan village, Antu county, Yanbian Korean autonomous prefecture, Jilin, tourists linger over rich snow activities and folk experiences, showing a preference for hot spring hotels and unique homestays featuring traditional Korean-style houses.

Yang Lina, the person in charge of the Naitoushan village scenic area, introduced that this year, Naitoushan has integrated luxury homestays with ice and snow culture, creating projects themed around a dreamy Nordic ice and snow world.

Tourists can take a small train around the luxury homestays to see buildings of different styles and can ride off-road vehicles to experience the speed and excitement of traversing the snowy forest, she said.

Liu Xiang, director of the office of Piyan Mountain hot spring ancient village, said that the local hotels are often fully booked in winter.

"Many tourists like to soak in hot springs indoors but still want to feel the icy and snowy atmosphere. We have set up large screens and other ice and snow backgrounds at hotels' hot spring pools and also offer travel photography services," he said.

Liu particularly recommended the stand-alone homestays, where the Korean-style decor is eye-catching, and the design of private hot spring courtyards has received much praise.

Huamei resort in the Changbai Mountain region, relying on skiing, hot springs, and local culture, is an accommodation cluster that caters to all age groups.

"The resort's Northeast-style folk hotels and exquisite Swiss hotels will provide unique accommodation experiences for tourists this snow season," said a representative from the resort.

For example, the Changbai Mountain Pinecone Holiday Club in the resort is famous for its parent-child themed activities and rooms, attracting many families during the holidays.

"Guests staying at the hotel can enjoy skiing and snow entertainment rights. To accommodate families with two children, the hotel has designed many 'two adults and two children' themed rooms. Additionally, the villas offer full-time butler services and personalized custom services," said the representative.

Wanfengtong ski resort also attracts many guests each snow season with its diverse hotels and specially designed children's camp inns.

A representative from Wanfengtong mentioned that in recent years more solo travelers have been coming for "accommodation plus skiing", prompting the resort to add single-person ski-inclusive and ski-exclusive accommodation packages to meet the changing consumer needs.

Yan Shuai, marketing director of Beidahu Ski Resort, said that Mountain Lake Residence Hotel within the resort is a hot spot for ski enthusiasts, with a free shuttle bus connecting to the ski service center.

High-quality services

To provide excellent services and retain tourists, many hotels and homestays in Jilin are refurbishing facilities, adding snow play equipment and intensifying staff training.

For instance, Changbai Mountain Wanda International Resort, a comprehensive resort with high-end hotel clusters, ski resorts, hot springs, and commercial facilities, has built a professional service team to offer better skiing and vacation experiences for tourists.

Wang Junling, director of the innovation business center at the resort, said: "The hotels have set up a vacation assistant position to provide full-service support from airport pickup, check-in rights handling, vacation itinerary planning, skiing skill improvement, to accompanying camp activities."

"After checking in, guests can contact the accommodation butler for any issues," said Liu at the Piyan Mountain hot spring ancient village.

"The butler can provide customized personal services based on guests' needs, such as offering travel route guides and special dining services," he explained.

This winter, Naitoushan has also made many preparations to optimize services and enhance the guest accommodation experience. "We have strengthened training to improve employees' service awareness. Many homestays have also had lifestyle butlers to provide more considerate services for tourists," said Yang.