US hotel operator Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc is to launch a new property in downtown Taipei under the brand DoubleTree by Hilton Taipei Zhongshan, a joint venture with local developer Jiu Yu Property Group (九昱建設).
The hotel is intended to open in late December in Zhongshan District (中山), where competition is already sharp among Regent Taipei (台北晶華), Hotel Royal-Nikko Taipei (台北老爺), the Okura Prestige Taipei (大倉久和) and Aloft Taipei Zhongshan (中山雅樂軒).
The new facility is to feature 106 guestrooms priced between NT$6,000 and NT$7,000 a night, on a par with rivals nearby, DoubleTree general manager William Wu (吳維寧) said, adding that it aims to achieve an annual occupancy rate of 90 percent in light of its convenient location.
DoubleTree is only 400m from MRT Zhongshan Station, which is one stop from Taipei Main Station, Wu said.
It is the second hospitality investment by Taipei-based Jiu Yu, which opted to partner with Hilton Worldwide after aligning with Marriott International Inc to run an adjacent property, Aloft Taipei Zhongshan, Wu said.
The new hotel is to target business travelers, who account for 60 percent of clientele in the area, while leisure travelers would supply the remaining 40 percent, he said.
Japanese constitute the largest customer group, followed by people from China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Europe and the US, Wu said, attributing the breakdown to the “alley” culture of the past.
DoubleTree was the fastest-growing Hilton brand with a global portfolio of more than 535 upscale hotels across six continents until 2016 when Hilton Garden Inn opened more rooms, company data showed.
Most DoubleTree properties are independently owned and operated by franchisees, but some are managed by Hilton Worldwide, the group said.
DoubleTree has 14 floors above ground and four basement floors built by Jiu Yu, Wu said.
Jiu Yu is developing a residential complex in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) and another building on Taipei’s Linsen N Road, its Web site said.
It also owns a plot of land on the intersection of Renai and Xinsheng S roads that is used as a Volvo exhibition center, but is to be turned into the site for a luxury housing project, it said.
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