Hotel and theme park operator Leofoo Tourism Group (六福旅遊集團) is seeking to boost its food and beverage sales for the rest of the year, despite plans to shut down a flagship property and delay regeneration of another outlet, officials said yesterday.
The group expects revenue from sales of restaurant vouchers at the annual Taiwan Culinary Exhibition (台灣美食展) next month to be flat, but is aiming for 10 percent growth in mooncake sales this year, aided by its partnership with 7-Eleven convenience stores, Leofoo communications director Anne Wang (王淺秋) said.
“The group will not let up in its efforts to bolster its business, even as the closure of Westin Taipei (台北威斯汀六福皇宮) draws closer,” Wang told a media briefing.
The food fair, which is to take place at the Taipei World Trade Center, Exhibition Hall 1, from Aug. 10 to Aug. 13, is an important event for hotels, restaurants and eateries to shore up their food and beverage revenues, and for consumers to hunt for bargains.
Leofoo is offering half-price vouchers for dining at the restaurants of Westin Taipei, Leofoo Hotel (六福客棧) and Marriott Taipei (六福萬怡), Wang said.
Setting a growth target this year is unrealistic because restaurant vouchers for Westin Taipei would expire on the last day of operation on Dec. 31, making them less attractive, she said.
Other restaurant vouchers are valid for a year or longer.
Dining vouchers are set at NT$1,200 (US$39.06) each for set menus originally priced at NT$2,200 to stimulate buying interest, Wang said, adding that would represent a 45 percent discount.
The food show last year generated NT$5.5 million in voucher revenue, company data showed.
Mooncake boxes, a popular gift item during the Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on Sept. 24 this year, should fare better than last year with the expansion of sales channels, Wang said.
The group expects to make NT$11 million in mooncake sales, a 10 percent gain from last year, she said.
Traditional egg yolk-flavored mooncakes are still the favored gift-box choice over others that feature more luxurious designs or diverse flavors, she said.
Leofoo is still engaged in talks with potential partners about when and how to regenerate Leofoo Hotel in downtown Taipei, Wang said.
“A thorough renovation and upgrade is necessary as the facility is 47 years old,” she said.
Marriott Taipei in Nangang District (南港) has met expectations, with revenue in the first half of the year rising 10 percent from the same period last year, she said.
The facility has a 65 percent occupancy rate and is aiming for 70 percent if Nangang continues to draw more people from the prime Xinyi District (信義), she said.
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