Renaissance Taipei Shihlin Hotel (台北士林萬麗酒店) expects business to increase this quarter thanks to strong food and beverage sales, even though Beijing’s travel ban is weighing on occupancy.
“We expect food and beverage revenue to pick up by at least 10 percent from now until the end of the Lunar New Year holiday, driven by strong demand for wedding banquets and corporate gatherings,” general manager Daniel Meier said on Wednesday.
The facility’s banquet rooms — which can accommodate 35 tables — are fully booked on weekends over the coming months, with reservations even scheduled for 2021, Meier said.
The buffet restaurant Shihlin Kitchen (士林廚房) was ranked the sixth-best eatery in Taipei by the TripAdvisor travel Web site, thanks to its array of local and exotic cuisines, Meier said.
Sales at the restaurant could increase 10 percent during a seasonal promotion of more than 30 crab dishes to attract local gourmets this month and next month, he said.
The 104 guestrooms are totally occupied on weekends, he said.
“I’m satisfied, given that the hotel just turned one year old in August,” he said.
Occupancy would be higher if China would loosen its ban on individual Chinese tourists from visiting in the run-up to Taiwan’s presidential election in January, he added.
Chinese tourists account for 15 percent of the hotel’s occupancy, next only to domestic travelers at 20 percent.
Fortunately, the ban does not extend to business travelers, and the number of arrivals from South Korea and Southeast Asia is picking up, Meier said.
“It is wise ... not to put all of your eggs in one basket,” he added.
The hotel is located across from the Shilin Official Residence Park (士林官邸公園) and within walking distance of Shilin MRT Station.
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