The Landis Taipei (亞都麗緻), the signature lodging facility of Landis Hospitality Group (麗緻餐旅集團), is seeking to boost dining revenue at its Chinese restaurant by cooperating with local tea growers.
Tien Hsiang Lo (天香樓), a Chinese restaurant with a focus on Hangzhou cuisine, is to join forces with tea growers across Taiwan to add variety to its menu and stay competitive and profitable.
“Change and innovation are necessary to attract new customers while keeping existing ones as the industry grows increasingly competitive,” assistant sales and marketing director Stephanie Wang (王孟嫺) said.
The Landis Taipei is struggling to keep its revenue steady this year, after a 7.18 percent decline in the first six months to NT$455.28 million (US$15.07 million), company data showed, as the 38-year-old facility is renovating its guestrooms to cope with fast-rising rivals amid a stagnating market.
Occupancy rates in the first half of the year stood at 71.76 percent, a 4.66 percent drop from the same period last year, while average room rates fell from NT$4,627 to NT$4,401, according to Tourism Bureau statistics.
Tien Hsiang Lo aims to maintain its mantel as a leading Chinese restaurant by creating a special menu that features Hangzhou and Taiwanese dishes cooked with tea species grown in Taichung, Nantou and New Taipei City, Wang said.
The special menu, to be launched on Wednesday next week and available for the coming month, is the restaurant’s strategy to motivate old customers and reach out to new guests who are looking for culinary adventure, Wang said.
Unlike traditional Chinese dishes, the tea meal will be served in Western fine dining fashion, by pairing the food with three teas at NT$2,420 per set, Wang added.
Food and beverage generated 31.42 percent of revenue in the first half of the year and the group has sought to boost its contribution, as dining budgets are less susceptible to the dynamic of economic cycles, Wang said.
The Landis Taipei last year spent more than NT$10 million modernizing its kitchen, lounge bar and Chinese restaurant and set aside an extra NT$200 million to decorate its guestrooms this and next year, Wang said.
The five-star facility is courting female and young customers without abandoning its focus on business travelers, Wang said.
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