Park Lane, Dorsett among Hong Kong hotels offering half-price, long-stay packages to attract guests who need to quarantine

Some hotels in Hong Kong are offering long-stay packages at half the normal rate to attract bookings from guests who need to be quarantined upon arrival from abroad.

Hotel occupancy rates have plummeted across Asia as confirmed cases of Covid-19 infections have spread across the world, leading to widespread shutdowns and travel restrictions. In Hong Kong, hotel occupancy dropped from 56.2 per cent in January to 22.8 per cent in the first three weeks of March, according to data analytics firm STR.

From March 19, travellers arriving in Hong Kong from any foreign country had to be put under 14-day home quarantine or medical surveillance. Confirmed cases in the city surged to 582 on Saturday.

Dorsett Hospitality International has recently started offering long-stay packages at their nine hotels in Hong Kong, targeting business travellers as well as students returning from overseas who need to be quarantined.

The 4.5-star Dorsett Wanchai’s 14-day package starts from HK$6,888 (US$889), or HK$492 per night. That is less than half the price of their normal rate of HK$1,030 per night on March 27 as found on travel booking platform Expedia.

The hotel has received many calls and enquiries about the package, especially from families and parents looking for a place to accommodate their children returning from overseas, said Anita Chan, senior vice-president of global brand marketing at Dorsett Hospitality International.

However, not all hoteliers believe in the need for providing special packages.