Some folks have long work commutes. Alex Xu's is extreme.

The CEO and chairman of GreenTree Inns Hotel Management Corp jets back and forth between Shanghai and Los Angeles so frequently that he knows the flight attendants' names.

But Xu's close knowledge of China and the United States has given the hard-working Chinese-American a distinct perspective on the hospitality industry - and a management philosophy that is guiding his budget-hotel chain's expansion into the US.