Cathay Hospitality Management Co (國泰商旅) yesterday said it is seeking the highest rating for its hotel in downtown Taipei next month.
Madison Taipei, a 124-room hotel that targets businesspeople from the US and Europe, is improving its services in the hope of winning the five-star recognition from the Taiwan Assessment and Evaluation Association (台灣評鑑協會), hotel director Joyce Hwang (黃雅琪) said.
The association operates under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.
“The recognition would help boost the local brand’s worldwide value and reputation and, hopefully, its customer base and revenues,” Hwang said.
With average room rates of NT$7,000 and NT$8,000 (US$213 and US$243) per night, Madison Taipei positions itself as an urban boutique hotel, compared with the rate of NT$5,000 per night for its sister brand Hotel Cozzi (和逸) that caters to tourists, Hwang said.
To qualify as a five-star establishment, Madison Taipei, located on Dunhua S Rd, needs to have at least two restaurants — one of them serving diners all day — meeting rooms, fitness facilities and access to latest telecommunication services, among other things, she said.
The government has urged local hoteliers to upgrade software and hardware to grow customers and revenues, as the nation is striving to decrease its dependence on exports.
Madison Taipei’s score last year was very close to the five-star rating and the hotel is confident in winning it this year, Hwang said.
In an attempt to win the coveted rating, Madison Taipei’s Italian restaurant “Gustoso” has invited Michelin starred French chef Xavier Mathieu to cook for customers from Dec. 17 to Dec. 22, said executive chef Jack Wang (王宗鈞), who specializes in dishes from Southern Italy and the Mediterranean.
The hotel also has a lounge bar, “Urban 331,” that serves a selection of whiskey from around the world.
Madison Taipei and Cozzi are part of Cathay Real Estate’s bid to take advantage of the nation’s booming tourism industry and to revitalize idle assets, said Alice Wu (吳玟萱), a communication official at Cathay Hospitality.
Cathay Hospitality is a subsidiary of Cathay Real Estate Development Co (國泰建設). Affiliated Cathay Life Insurance Co (國泰人壽), the flagship subsidiary of Cathay Financial Holding Co (國泰金控), is Taiwan’s largest property owner with more than 200 landmark buildings in prime locations nationwide.
Cathay Hospitality is to have a grand opening for Cozzi Kaohsiung next month, bringing its total outlets to five, one step closer to the goal of having eight outlets by 2018, Wu said.
The economic slowdown at home and abroad also weighs on the hotelier, which saw its occupancy rates drop 5 to 10 percentage points to between 60 percent and 70 percent this year, she said.
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