Macau hotels turns up heat on price war following CNY

Tuesday 16th of February 2016

Competition for hotel customers in Asia’s gambling hub is heating up now that the Lunar New Year holidays are over, according to local media.

Macau Business Daily has reported that hotels are offering guests attractive promotions and discount packages to offset the effects of the low season that follows the Lunar New Year period.

“These promotions are expected to create additional demand and increase occupancy at a time when guests do not usually travel because of the attractiveness of rates or value offer,” said the Director of Sales and Marketing of Grand Hyatt Macau, Bonita Hipolito-Busch, in a quote to Business Daily.

According to Busch, with more hotels opening in the city, promotions such as these are likely to become a marketing staple in the future. “Yes, this will continue to be a trend especially with more hotels opening in Macau. With more options available to them, people will continue to look for value for money and new experiences when choosing where to stay,” said the marketing executive.

On the other hand, other hotels such as the Mandarin Oriental and Hotel Lisboa, have adopted strategies involving partnerships with ferries operators such as TurboJet, where customers purchase a ferry and accommodation package.

University of Macau assistant professor of gaming and hospitality management, Glenn McCartney, echoed the same sentiment, and added that Macau’s lack of a business tourism industry lends extra importance to this promotion strategy. “Macau has a strong tourism travel industry but unlike other jurisdictions it doesn’t have a strong business tourism [base] which could offset seasonal peaks. This helps explain why the hotel operators need to have more of these promotions.”

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