International hotel chain Marriott International Inc yesterday held a soft opening for its first property in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口) in a bid to take advantage of emerging hospitality demand in the area.
The new hotel, under the brand Four Points by Sheraton Linkou (林口亞昕褔朋喜來登飯店), is a joint venture with local developer YeaShin International Development Co (亞昕國際開發), which is seeking to diversify its income sources by tapping into the hotel business.
Four Points by Sheraton is a brand of upscale hotels catering to business travelers and small conventions.
The hotel expects to achieve an occupancy rate of 50 percent with an average room rate of NT$3,999 until the end of this year, company communication officials said.
“The property of 165 guestrooms would move toward its target, aided by the blessing of an international hotel brand and a convenient location,” a marketing official said by telephone.
The facility is right across from the Airport MRT line’s Linkou Station and within walking distance of Mitsui Outlet Park and Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, the official said.
With 18 floors above ground and four below, the hotel features two restaurants, a lounge bar and banquet rooms, which would meet the conference demand of nearby companies, the official said.
Inbound business travelers might want to stay at Four Points Linkou after landing at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, as the hotel is only 20 minutes’ ride from the airport and downtown Taipei, the official said.
The property might help boost YeaShin’s revenue this year, with the effect likely to be more evident next year.
The Taipei-based developer posted net income of NT$723.02 million (US$23.62 million) in the first quarter, or earnings per share of NT$2.28, company data showed, after recognizing profits from new apartment complexes in Linkou.
It was the second consecutive quarter of gains after three straight quarters of losses, company data showed.
The company plans to launch new housing projects in New Taipei City later this year.
YeaShin shares have risen 13.14 percent so far this year, outperforming the construction sector’s 4.82 percent gain, according to the Taipei Exchange, on which companies with small to medium-sized capitalization are listed.
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