Check Inn (雀客旅館), a designer hotel targeting young, independent travelers, reported a mild increase in revenue for the first half of this year and expects business to remain steady for the rest of the year.
“It is a challenge even to stay flat this year as the economy slows and competition increases,” said hotel president Bart Day (戴東杰), son of restaurant chain Wowprime Corp (王品) founder Steve Day (戴勝益).
Check Inn posted NT$68 million (US$2.15 million) in revenue last year and achieved a 2 percent increase in the first six months of this year from the level a year earlier, Bart Day said.
Two years ago, Bart Day turned an old commercial building next to Taipei’s MRT Xingtian Temple Station into a 65-room hotel styled with industrial loft and street graffiti elements.
A heavy laptop and handset user, the 33-year-old makes sure all rooms and public spaces in the hotel are Internet-friendly, with sufficient power outlets and easy access to Wi-Fi hotspots.
All rooms have 5 to 6 ping (16.5m2 to 19.8m2) of space and rates range from NT$2,800 to NT$3,200 on weekdays and NT$3,600 to NT$3,900 on weekends, Check Inn managing director Spring Chuang (莊正均) said.
Check Inn’s ccupancy rate averaged 80 percent in the first half, similar to levels in the same period a year ago, Chuang said, adding that the focus on independent travelers makes the hotel less susceptible to the economic cycle.
Transportation convenience makes Check Inn a popular choice among travelers who like to explore Taipei and other parts of Taiwan, Chuang said, adding that besides Xingtian Temple (行天宮), Siping Street and famous sushi restaurant Addiction Aquatic Development (上引水產) are walking distance from Check Inn.
Foreign travelers account for 70 percent of customers, while local tourists supply the remaining 30 percent, Chuang said.
Check Inn is courting customers from Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore, as well as local travelers, to make up for a decline in Chinese tourists, Bart Day said.
To that end, Check Inn yesterday teamed up with iPass Corp (一卡通票證) to issue joint cards that serve both as key cards to hotel rooms and MRT passes.
The promotion allows card holders to enjoy various discounts at the hotel and retail stores.
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