Landis Taipei Hotel Co (亞都麗緻) aims to grow its revenue by between 3 percent and 5 percent next year, similar to the pace of increase this year, as it seeks to beat the economic slowdown, senior company officials said yesterday.
With a focus on business travelers, the hotelier — the flagship unit of Landis Group (亞都麗緻集團) — is susceptible to global economic cycles, but has managed a modest increase in occupancy rates so far this year, Landis Taipei general manager Tony Wang (王本仁) said.
“We are looking at growth of a similar pace next year driven by greater customer satisfaction,” Wang said.
Toward that end, the five-star hotel recently hired a new French chef, Bruno Delammare, at its Brasserie Liz (麗緻巴賽麗) to underscore its specialty in serving authentic French dishes, Wang said.
European and US guests account for 40 percent of the hotel’s clientele.
In the first 11 months, the occupancy rate averaged 83 percent, while the room rate stood at NT$5,500 (US$167.52) per night, representing a single-digit percentage increase from last year, said Wang, also the general manager at Hotel ONE Taichung (台中亞緻大飯店).
Occupancy rates climbed to 95 percent in the Taichung branch this month, thanks to the high-sales season for non-technology firms, many of which have headquarters in central Taiwan, Wang said.
Revenue at the Landis Taipei was NT$91.02 million in October, up 4.17 percent from the previous year, company data showed.
The performance fell short of a 6 percent pickup Wang forecast prior to the emergence of the economic slowdown in the second quarter.
Landis Taipei fared better than its peers, aided by its brand value and less reliance on tour groups, so it is less vulnerable to global tourism cycles, Wang said.
The group, whose business interests also include Landis Hotels & Resorts, Landis Management and Liz Dining Group, plans to open an outlet near the Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park (新竹科學園區) next year, Wang said, adding that the group would limit its role to hotel operator at the new outlet.
The group has taken a cautious approach to expansion plans in China, although there are quite a few offers to cooperate, Wang said.
Landis Taipei shares closed up 0.69 percent at NT$21.8 yesterday, weaker than TPEX’s 1.25 percent gain, Taipei Exchange data showed.
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