Food and beverage sales at Illume Taipei (茹曦酒店) have been growing rapidly after FDC International Hotels Corp (雲品國際) in November last year took over operations of its buffet restaurant and banquet facilities.
The hotel in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山) said it expects a full recovery to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels next year, when disease prevention measures are fully rolled back.
The hotel last year announced the collaboration with FDC after months-long renovation efforts and reducing the number of rooms from 730 to 312, saying the measures are part of efforts to boost space efficiency and save costs.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
Food and beverage revenue grew threefold in the past five months, while occupancy rates returned to 60 percent, Illume Taipei marketing and communications director Tyler Wang (王品勳) said yesterday.
Room occupancy rates are 50 to 60 percent on average, up from 10 to 20 percent before the FDC deal, while average daily room rates increased from NT$2,000 to NT$4,500 (US$66 to US$147), he said.
Wang said the hotel has hosted guests from Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia, but domestic travelers continue to account for about 70 percent, as global business travel is expected to resume slowly.
Meanwhile, FDC expects stable business growth this quarter after a rapid recovery from a COVID-19 slump in the second half of last year.
After strong showings during the Lunar New Year holiday, food and beverage sales continued to receive support from spring gatherings, the company said.
Revenue in the first two months of this year increased 28.17 percent year-on-year to NT$475.84 million, while the room occupancy rate rose above 80 percent at Palais de Chine Hotel (君品酒店) near Taipei Railway Station over the 228 Memorial Day holiday, the company said.
Its flagship Fleur de Chine Hotel (雲品溫泉酒店) near Sun Moon Lake (日月潭) in Nantou County is undergoing renovation, but is expected to lend support to FDC’s growth momentum after it reopens, it said.
FDC is seeking to benefit from an expected boom in domestic tourism spurred by the government’s distribution of NT$6,000 tax rebates to Taiwanese and some foreign residents.
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