With its occupancies exceeding pre-pandemic levels, the Peninsula Beijing is turning its attention to wooing back international visitors.
Speaking to LATTE on a recent visit to Sydney, General Manager Cameron Cundle revealed that the hotel has seen an average 75% occupancy for this year to date – well above the 60% recorded before COVID kicked in.
He described the current levels as “ideal”, giving the hotel the flexibility to move guests around as necessary.
“All of this is better than pre pandemic,” Cundle said. “Now it’s just making sure there’s a nice split within markets.”
For while the domestic market is strong for the hotel, international visitors have been slow to return, he revealed. But he anticipated the expansion of China’s visa waiver program, which was extended to Australia in June this year, would help boost numbers from overseas.
“Speaking to the agents now, that’s a big step forward,” Cundle said. “There’s much more positivity.”
It represents a new chapter for the hotel which has weathered a number of storms in recent times, from financial crises to COVID. It’s a resilience which Cundle credits to a number of factors.
One major advantage is its claim to the title of mainland China’s first luxury hotel, he said. The property first opened in 1989 as The Palace and is still one of just a handful of luxury properties in Beijing where hotels tend to be more business-focused.
“We’re super lucky in being one of I would say we’re the Grand Dame of mainland China,” Cundle said. The property also benefits from its inner-city location – close to the main historical sights like the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, as well as the business district. The Great Wall of China is around a two-hour drive away.
Peninsula Group’s ownership of each of the hotels it operates also gives it a competitive edge, according to Cundle.
“That gives a different level of control, oversight and investment,” he said. “That makes sure that we keep the products as up to date as possible.”
Indeed, a pre-pandemic revamp means the hotel is in great shape. “We did a US$110 million renovation of the property in 2018,” Cundle said. What had been a 500-room hotel became a 230 all-suite property, with each one starting at 60 square metres.
“During this renovation, we were able to bring the design element of the hotel to a more modern level without losing touch of where you are,” he said.
