Landis Taipei Hotel, the flagship property of Landis Hospitality Group (麗緻餐旅集團), is seeking to boost its food and beverage sales this year, in the hope that international travel restrictions might be lifted in the second half of the year, the company said yesterday.
“Our food and beverage business has proven to be resilient and recovered quickly from a COVID-19 slump last year, thanks to a strong, loyal clientele and fast adjustments in our operations,” Landis Group business development division assistant general manager Gary Lo (羅明威) said.
Last year’s food and beverage revenue remained at 2019 level, and might grow this year, as Taiwanese travel regularly and travel restrictions might be lifted in the fall, Lo said.
Photo: Wang Yi-hung, Taipei Times
The Michelin-starred Tien Hsiang Lo Restaurant in the five-star hotel is fully booked for Lunar New Year’s Eve on Feb. 11, despite cluster infection at a Taoyuan hospital, Lo said.
December to February is peak season for local restaurants and banquet facilities, which cater to corporate feasts and family reunions, he said.
While many companies and organizations have not held large event to reduce COVID-19 infection risks, the large number of smaller events helped business at the hotel’s restaurants, he added.
Business at the hotel’s Paris 1930 de Hideki Takayama restaurant picked up 30 percent last year from a year earlier thanks to its blend of creative French cuisine and Japanese elements, Lo said.
The hotel forecasts a 30 percent increase in packaged food sales this year, after a 50 percent rise last year, helped by the low-contact economy, he said.
However, hotel occupancy might remain low this year due to the Landis Taipei’s heavy dependence on foreign tourists, said Newman Yen (顏鎮國), general manager of the group’s hotel operations.
International travel might rebound in the second half, after a widespread rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations, he said.
BIG BUCKS: Chairman Wei is expected to receive NT$34.12 million on a proposed NT$5 cash dividend plan, while the National Development Fund would get NT$8.27 billion Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, yesterday announced that its board of directors approved US$15.25 billion in capital appropriations for long-term expansion to meet growing demand. The funds are to be used for installing advanced technology and packaging capacity, expanding mature and specialty technology, and constructing fabs with facility systems, TSMC said in a statement. The board also approved a proposal to distribute a NT$5 cash dividend per share, based on first-quarter earnings per share of NT$13.94, it said. That surpasses the NT$4.50 dividend for the fourth quarter of last year. TSMC has said that while it is eager
‘IMMENSE SWAY’: The top 50 companies, based on market cap, shape everything from technology to consumer trends, advisory firm Visual Capitalist said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) was ranked the 10th-most valuable company globally this year, market information advisory firm Visual Capitalist said. TSMC sat on a market cap of about US$915 billion as of Monday last week, making it the 10th-most valuable company in the world and No. 1 in Asia, the publisher said in its “50 Most Valuable Companies in the World” list. Visual Capitalist described TSMC as the world’s largest dedicated semiconductor foundry operator that rolls out chips for major tech names such as US consumer electronics brand Apple Inc, and artificial intelligence (AI) chip designers Nvidia Corp and Advanced
Saudi Arabian Oil Co (Aramco), the Saudi state-owned oil giant, yesterday posted first-quarter profits of US$26 billion, down 4.6 percent from the prior year as falling global oil prices undermine the kingdom’s multitrillion-dollar development plans. Aramco had revenues of US$108.1 billion over the quarter, the company reported in a filing on Riyadh’s Tadawul stock exchange. The company saw US$107.2 billion in revenues and profits of US$27.2 billion for the same period last year. Saudi Arabia has promised to invest US$600 billion in the US over the course of US President Donald Trump’s second term. Trump, who is set to touch
SKEPTICAL: An economist said it is possible US and Chinese officials would walk away from the meeting saying talks were productive, without reducing tariffs at all US President Donald Trump hailed a “total reset” in US-China trade relations, ahead of a second day of talks yesterday between top officials from Washington and Beijing aimed at de-escalating trade tensions sparked by his aggressive tariff rollout. In a Truth Social post early yesterday, Trump praised the “very good” discussions and deemed them “a total reset negotiated in a friendly, but constructive, manner.” The second day of closed-door meetings between US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (何立峰) were due to restart yesterday morning, said a person familiar