Taipei Garden Hotel (台北花園大酒店), a business hotel near Ximending (西門町), is adjusting pricing strategies at its restaurants to boost the number of guests, as dining revenue has proved relatively resilient in an increasingly competitive landscape.
Food and beverage sales generated 55.1 percent of total revenue in the first half of the year, up from 52.76 percent in the same period last year, Tourism Bureau data showed.
“We are seeking to introduce friendlier pricing at our restaurants so guests can visit more often, not just for birthday or anniversary celebrations,” assistant director of marketing and communication Blythe Chao (趙芝綺) said.
The company recently updated its menus with slightly less expensive dishes at the Prime One Steak House and Japanese restaurant Hanazono.
The adjustment came after Caesar Park Hotels and Resorts (凱撒飯店) last month opened the Caesar Metro Taipei Hotel (台北凱達大飯店) in neighboring Wanhua District (萬華), aiming to draw guests away from other parts of the city.
In addition, the fall in inbound tourists persisted, with a 3.11 percent fall in arrivals in the first seven months of the year, according to government tallies.
Taipei Garden achieved occupancy rates of 86.93 percent between January and June, a 2.42 percent drop from the same period last year, but higher than the 70.83 percent average at other Taipei hotels, official statistics showed.
Average room rates slumped 13.52 percent to NT$2,142, from NT$2,477 a year earlier, while the F&B arm fared better with a 1.03 percent drop in revenue.
The retreat warrants price adjustments to expand the clientele, even though such a move could squeeze profitability, Chao said.
“We are trying to cope with an ever more crowded arena,” she said.
Image Taiwan Hotel Group (印象台灣飯店集團), a young entrant to the hospitality market, is about to launch a new upscale property five minutes’ walk away.
A member of Cosmos Hotel & Resorts Group (天成飯店集團), Taipei Garden markets itself as an oasis in a bustling part of the city.
The firm’s Cosmos Hotel Taipei (台北天成大飯店) fared better with 93.47 percent occupancy in the first six months, but it was down from 96.26 percent and lost its top position to San Want Hotel (神旺大飯店), with 93.53 percent, official data showed.
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