Luxury hotel Mandarin Oriental Taipei (文華東方酒店) plans to reopen its guestrooms in December to take advantage of a boom in domestic travel.
The reopening would come six months after the five-star facility suspended room operations to cut costs as countries across the region impose border controls to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, diminishing demand for business travel.
“We are delighted to share that Mandarin Oriental Taipei will resume room operations on December 1,” the hotel said in a statement yesterday.
Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times
The hotel in Songshan District (松山) said it would adopt stringent health and safety practices to ensure the well-being of its guests and employees.
It would unveil promotion packages and other details in the run-up to the reopening, the statement said.
Mandarin Oriental, which operates 33 high-end hotels and seven residences in 23 countries and territories, has reopened its properties in Tokyo, Milan, London, Paris and Munich. It is to welcome back guests in Madrid in March next year.
Business at Mandarin Oriental Taipei’s restaurants, bars and spa, as well as conference and banquet facilities, has almost recovered to pre-pandemic levels after the outbreak was brought under control in Taiwan in May.
Hotels outside Taipei have since seen significant business improvement, as strict border controls and mandatory quarantine abroad have encouraged Taiwanese to go on domestic trips.
Mandarin Oriental Taipei is reopening at the urging of affluent local guests who are longing for luxurious staycation experiences, it said.
The hotel intends to rehire employees it let go in June, local media reported.
The hotel had opted for a partial shutdown, as foreign guests accounted for 80 percent of its clientele.
Occupancy rates remain low in general for lodging facilities in Taipei, with major players planning to offer cutthroat discounts at the annual Taipei International Travel Fair, to be held at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center from Friday next week to Nov. 2.
Formosa International Hotels Corp (晶華國際酒店) is to offer room and restaurant vouchers for different packages priced at about 70 to 80 percent off the regular charges to motivate customers, while Cosmos Hotel & Resorts Group (天成飯店集團) is to sell room vouchers at NT$3,699 (US$127.77) each that allow holders to stay for two nights at Cosmos Taipei (台北天成大飯店), the Taipei Garden Hotel (台北花園大酒店) or Hua Shan Din (華山町).
My Humble House Group (寒舍集團) is to offer vouchers that allow guests to stay at the Sheraton Grande Taipei Hotel (台北喜來登大飯店) for one night with free breakfast for two for NT$3,999, or a discount of 70 percent of the original price tag.
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