A new international hotel brand has moved to Taipei’s Beitou District (北投) as competition spreads from the city center to suburban areas, driving some peers to slow the pace of expansion amid an increasingly crowded field.
Aloft Taipei Beitou (北投雅樂軒), a sister brand of W Hotel, started soft operations in January to accommodate young business and independent travelers who are looking for environmentally friendly lodging facilities with access to live performances by local musicians.
Management of the hotel, which has 292 guestrooms, a Western restaurant and a fitness center, said it was upbeat about achieving an occupancy rate of 60 percent in its first year and raising the figure to 75 percent, aided by the hotel’s casual and fashionable design and relatively affordable room rates.
“We expect the brand’s loyal customers worldwide to fill 40 percent of our guestrooms,” Aloft Taipei Beitou communications manager Lisa Hou (侯淑榕) said. “The goal is achievable, because Aloft is a brand under Marriot International Inc, a leading global hospitality provider with millions of members.”
Daily room rates are between NT$3,600 and NT$4,500 for standard rooms of at least 9 ping (29.8m2) and NT$28,000 for its largest suite of 27 ping, Hou said.
To differentiate itself from competitors, Aloft Beitou hosts live concerts by local bands every other weekend for anyone to enjoy without charge, Hou said, adding that the performances are not available at Aloft Taipei Zhongshan in Zhongshan District (中山).
Aloft operates 122 properties worldwide with two in Taipei.
Taipei-based Sun Power Development and Construction Co (三寶建設), which has shifted its business focus to China in recent years, owns the Beitou property, which has 22 stories above ground and four basement levels.
The developer retained the two top floors for its own use, Hou said.
It remains to be seen if branded hotels in suburban Taipei will be successful.
Taiwan Fertilizer Co (台肥), of which the government holds a considerable stake, is reassessing plans to develop two large hotels in Nangang District (南港).
Taiwan Fertilizer in 2014 inked deals to tailor-build hotels for local hotel chain Caesar Park Hotels and Resorts (凱撒飯店) and Kaohsiung-based Grand Hi-Lai Hotel (漢來飯店) for NT$12 billion (US$387.52 million) in exchange for rental income of NT$800 million per year.
“The sharp fall in the number of Chinese tourists warrants strategy adjustments and all parties involved are weighing potential options,” Taiwan Fertilizer spokesman Lo Shih-jih (羅仕日) said by telephone.
Caesar Park in particular has relied heavily on Chinese tourists to fill its rooms, Lo said.
All sides have cooperation agreements, which might see substantial changes as reassessments are made, Lo said.
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