It's a young hotelier, barely one-and-a-half years old, but Wanda Hotels & Resorts is catching up fast, pitting its hospitality expertise against large international conglomerates. But, it has a first-bite strategy that it hopes will give it an edge. Ma Xue reports.

Since the company was founded in July 2012, there has been a new Wanda hotel opening up every 10 days or so, bringing the total number to 46. As the new kid on the block, if Wanda Hotels & Resorts wanted the industry's attention, it has certainly captured the eyeballs.

On Sept 14, it opened its 46th hotel in Harbin's Haxi, reinforcing the company strategy of putting its mark on second-, third- and even fourth-tier cities.