Ambassador Hotels and Restaurants (國賓飯店) on Tuesday created a chief executive officer’s post to be concurrently held by its chairman, Emmet Hsu (許育瑞), to manage urban renewal for its flagship property in Taipei.
Hsu, also chairman of affiliate Yeangder Group (仰德集團) — which owns HCT Logistics Co (新竹物流), Shihlin Electric & Engineering Corp (士林電機) and a high school — aims to turn the 56-year-old Ambassador Hotel Taipei (台北國賓飯店) and two adjacent apartment buildings into a mixed-use complex.
The complex is to feature twin high-rise buildings — one for an upscale hotel and the other for luxury apartments — to boost floor space and property value, the company said in a Taiwan Stock Exchange filing after a board meeting.
Photo courtesy of Ambassador Hotels and Restaurants
Despite several rounds of renovations, there is still much to be desired in terms of floor design and overall competitiveness for Ambassador Hotel Taipei, the nation’s first private-run five-star hotel after the government-run Grand Hotel (圓山飯店), the company said, adding that it is time to start from scratch.
The hospitality chain, which also owns Ambassador Hotel Kaohsiung (高雄國賓飯店) and Ambassador Hotel Hsinchu (新竹國賓飯店), began to assess the possibility of urban renewal following the outbreak of COVID-19, which brought international tourism to a sudden halt in March, officials said.
Japanese travelers accounted for 70 percent of its clientele prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ambassador Hotel Taipei plans to cease operation in 2022, the second hotel in Taipei to exit the market to pave the way for regeneration, following Leofoo Hotel (六福客棧), which closed at the end of May.
While hotels in most parts of Taiwan have emerged from the virus shock, business remains poor for facilities in Taipei due to their heavy dependence on foreign business travelers.
Ambassador Hotels and Restaurants said it might partner with international hotel brands after the renewal project is completed.
The group set up a property arm in June to take charge of real-estate development headed by the conglomerate’s consultant, Frank Lin (林興國), it said.
The board meeting also decided that chief operating officer John Hsieh (謝漢章) would double as president, while its current president Hubert Lee (李昌霖), the younger brother of Hsu, would be in charge of special projects.
The arrangements suggest that Lee would become less involved in decisionmaking for the hotel chain and focus on the local operations of the McDonald’s fast-food chain, local media reported yesterday.
The board appointed Hsu Chia-yao (許家堯), the eldest son of Emmet Hsu, the group’s vice president and special assistant to the chairman, the filing said.
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