A gite in China: French hospitality checks in at Anhui water town

Mon, 03/12/2012 - 04:57 — Anonymous by CNNGo staffHuangshan (黄山), or
Yellow Mountain, is among the most popular Chinese tourist destinations for
international travelers. But just 40 kilometers north of the UNESCO World
Heritage site, an untapped Anhui water town has recently stolen a substantial
slice of limelight from its big brother. Tangmo (唐模), a
four-square-kilometer water town whose name means "the model of Tang
Dynasty," saw the opening of Gîtes de France's first licensed
hotel outside Europe last month. First Gîtes de France hotel outside Europe
The 10-room establishment, which is the first phase of Tangmo International
Countryside Hotel (TICH, 唐模国际乡村酒店), occupies a restored
century-old Huizhou-style residential building, with room types ranging from
standard doubles to deluxe suites. But unlike most gîtes in France, which
are privately owned country houses, the two-story property is a fully
serviced hotel owned by the local travel authority, Anhui Tourism Group
(ATG). read more