Courtyard by Marriott Taipei (六福萬怡) in Taipei’s Nangang District (南港) is to suspend its operations next month as it mulls converting into a quarantine hotel, exhibition venue or offices to better utilize its space and increase revenue.
“The macro-environment is unfavorable for the hospitality industry and warrants a reassessment of space utilization to boost revenue,” the five-star hotel said.
The hotel in the same complex as the Nangang MRT and high-speed rail stations, as well as a shopping mall, was looking to attract domestic and foreign travelers doing business at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, but that aim has been foiled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Photo courtesy of Courtyard by Marriott Taipei
Options under consideration include turning it into a quarantine hotel, an exhibition venue or office space, the hotel said.
Occupancy rates for hotels in Taipei are in single-digit percentages, tourism bureau data showed, after the government advised people to avoid large gatherings even after the nationwide COVID-19 alert was lowered from level 3 to level 2 in July.
Disease prevention measures have hit large hotels hard as they depend heavily on tourists, analysts say.
The hotel with 465 guestrooms is the flagship property of Leofoo Tourism Group (六福旅遊集團), which also owns Leofoo Hotel (六福客棧), and operates the Leofoo Village Theme Park (六福村) and the Leofoo Resort (六福莊) in Hsinchu County.
The group posted a net loss of NT$360 million (US$12.98 million) in the first six months of this year, or losses per share of NT$1.92.
The theme park is offering a discounted NT$3,996 ticket for four visitors, who then enter a draw to win a free night at the Courtyard by Marriot Taipei.
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