Two major Taiwanese hotel groups have reported that their revenue last month contracted by a double-digit percentage from a year earlier due to the lingering pain of the COVID-19 pandemic and the timing of the Lunar New Year holiday.
FDC International Hotels Corp (FDC, 雲品國際) said that its revenue last month slumped 33 percent year-on-year to NT$190 million (US$6.69 million), due in part to the start of the Lunar New Year holiday last year falling in January.
In addition, hotel occupancy rates in urban locations continued to take a hit from international travel restrictions, while demand for banquets tumbled due to the infection risk, it said, referring to lackluster business at the Palais de Chine Hotel (君品酒店) near Taipei Railway Station and at its banqueting arm Gala de Chine (頤品大飯店).
Occupancy rates at FDC’s Fleur de Chine Hotel (雲品溫泉酒店) near Nantou County’s Sun Moon Lake (日月潭) remained above 95 percent, helped by a sustained boom in domestic tourism due to overseas travel bans, it said.
The same factors saw food and beverage sales at Palais de Chine’s eateries such as Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant Le Palais (頤宮) and buffet restaurant La Rotisserie (雲軒) remain strong, with both fully booked during the Lunar New Year holiday, it said.
FDC said it is cautious about the outlook, with the food and beverage business likely to remain sturdy, while urban hotel occupancy rates continue their slump.
Formosa International Hotels Group (FIH, 晶華酒店集團) posted revenue of NT$529 million for last month, down 23.03 percent as a COVID-19 cluster infection at a Taoyuan hospital drove guests to postpone or cancel their bookings.
Occupancy rates at Regent Taipei (台北晶華酒店), the group’s flagship property, remained soft, but sales of luxury goods at the hotel’s boutique stores posted a 60 percent increase year-on-year, FIH said.
FIH said it is looking to increase food and beverage revenue by meeting the needs of high-end customers.
FIH chairman Steve Pan (潘思亮) won the Best Hotel Owner’s Award from the Tourism Bureau for urging the government early last year to provide hard-hit hotels with wage subsidies and training classes to avoid massive closures and layoffs.
Pan expressed his gratitude to FIH employees for staying united and seeking professional improvement while weathering the downturn.
The group’s Silks Place (晶英) hotels in Yilan, Hualien and Tainan registered revenue growth despite the pandemic, FIH said.
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