The Ascott has secured a contract to manage its first serviced residence in Nanjing.

The contract was awarded by Nanjing Lek Yuen Property Development Company, a major property developer in Nanjing, China.

Citadines Baijia Lake Nanjing, which will have approximately 290 apartment units, is slated to open in the second half of 2014.

The latest addition has reinforced Ascott’s leadership position as the largest international serviced residence owner-operator in China with more than 8,300 apartment units in 46 properties across 18 cities.

Chong Kee Hiong, Ascott’s chief executive, said: “China is Ascott’s fastest growing market.

“It is also our strongest market where our revenue per available unit in 2012 increased by 15 per cent over 2011.

“Besides building on our presence in tier one cities in China, we have been expanding into high growth cities where strong foreign investment has generated a large demand for serviced residences.

“Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu Province, is one of these high growth cities, with an economy that expanded by an average of 17 per cent per year over the past five years.

“We see strong potential for Ascott to expand into Nanjing and grow our presence in the East China region.”

Citadines Baijia Lake Nanjing has a prime location near the well-known Baijia Lake.

It is very close to the Baijia Lake 1912 commercial area, Shengtai Road retail street, British School of Nanjing, Jiangning Hospital, and a university zone with 15 universities.

There are convenient amenities such as restaurants, pubs, shopping centres, supermarkets, banks and clinics nearby.

The property is also next to the metro stations of Lines 1 and 3, and a 15-minute and 25-minute drive from the Nanjing high-speed railway station and airport respectively.