As a Chinese saying goes, a career should be well established by the age 30.

Jianguo Hotel Beijing has made its mark as it celebrates its 30th anniversary as an international-standard hotel this year.

The first joint-venture hotel on the Chinese mainland, it has generated more than 3.4 billion yuan in revenues and 800 million yuan in profit since it officially opened on April 28, 1982.

"The Jianguo is a model on the successful use of foreign capital," an international economic authority said.

The four-star garden hotel in the heart of Beijing's central business district welcomes 150,000 to 160,000 guests each year, 85 percent of them foreigners, according to Deng Yuanming, the hotel's general manager.

It has also hosted more than 100 visiting heads of state and senior officials including King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia, former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, US President Jimmy Carter and Australian prime minister Bob Hawke, Deng added.

Due to its professional management and excellent customer services, the hotel has taken home more than 30 national and international awards, including the Capital Tourism Forbidden City Cup, the highest prize in Beijing's tourism and hotel industry.

The State Council was already acknowledging the hotel's quality in 1984, using it as the example in a pilot program for 50 hotels to improve the level of management and customer service in the industry across the nation.

It has since trained a large number of hospitality professionals - almost three times the number of its own employees - including nearly 100 general managers.

It has also expanded its own presence. With the Jianguo Hotel Beijing as a flagship, the Beijing Tourism Group-Jianguo Hotel Management Co now runs almost 100 high-star hotels nationwide in an effort to foster a globally known Chinese hotel brand.

Hailed as a milestone in the nation's hotel industry, Jianguo Hotel Being has continued to evolve its approach in hotel management over the past three decades.

To push its development forward, Duan Qiang, BTG chairman, has recently proposed the new concept of "Chinese service" that combines world-class standards with Chinese cultural elements in the hotel.

With the new move and its long-standing pioneering spirit, Jianguo Hotel Beijing is expected to consolidate its position in the forefront of China's increasingly competitive hotel industry.

zhuanti@chinadaily.com.cn