$13,187 per night — The Lalu Taipei tops The Lalu Resort to claim "the nation’s highest hotel room rate"

▲ The Lalu Taipei Hot Spring Hotel claimed the title of the most expensive tourist hotel in the first quarter of 2015 with an average nightly rate of NT$13,187. (Photo / Reporter Huang Kexiang)

Reported by Chen Rui-zhong / Taipei

According to the tourist hotel operation report released by the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications on April 21, in the first quarter of 2015, the average room rate across Taiwan’s 113 tourist hotels was NT$3,883. The highest-priced hotel was The Lalu Taipei Hot Spring Hotel, charging NT$13,187 per night, followed by The Lalu Resort and Silks Place, Sun Moon Lake.

There are currently 113 tourist hotels across Taiwan, including 72 international tourist hotels and 41 general tourist hotels. Taipei City has the most with 41 tourist hotels, followed by Kaohsiung City with 11, and Taichung City and Taoyuan City with 8 each.

Among all tourist hotels, The Lalu Taipei Hot Spring Hotel saw a significant 27% increase in its average room rate in the first quarter of 2015 compared to the same period last year, rising from NT$10,375 to NT$13,187, surpassing The Lalu Resort at NT$11,688 and Silks Place, Sun Moon Lake at NT$10,976, to become the most expensive hotel in Taiwan. The 4th to 10th spots are occupied by Les Suites At Taipei (NT$10,033), W Taipei (NT$9,811), Kagaya by Nikko Hotels (NT$9,679), Hotel Royal Chiaohsi (NT$8,425), Silks Club (NT$8,103), Lai Lai Resort Jiouci (NT$7,583), and Evergreen Laurel Hotel Jiouci (NT$7,187), respectively.

Regarding taking the crown as the most expensive hotel in the nation,The Lalu Taipei Hot Spring HotelPublic Relations Manager Chiang Ya-ling stated that the hotel underwent renovations in late 2014 on its hardware, software, and restaurants, resulting in a 20% overall price adjustment in October. Initially, there was indeed an impact on guest numbers, but by early 2015, guests returned, proving that accommodations in the Beitou hot spring area have differentiated beyond budget leisure options to establish a top-tier, refined market segment.

Chiang Ya-ling pointed out that with the increasing overall recognition of the Beitou area, the number of foreign guests has also gradually grown. Due to advantages such as transportation and environment, about 80% of the hotel’s guests come from the Greater Taipei area. She also mentioned that there are no plans to raise room rates at The Lalu Taipei in 2015.

▲ Silks Place, Sun Moon Lake. (Photo / Provided by the operator)

Regarding this result,The Lalu ResortPublic Relations Director Wang Ling responded that The Lalu Resort has only 96 rooms, with Taiwanese guests accounting for 60%, foreign tourists around 35%, and mainland Chinese tourists about 5%. The guest profile is stable and continues to grow, with a 6% increase in the first quarter of this year compared to last year. Although it slipped to second place in room rates in the first quarter, it remains confident about regaining the top spot in the future.

Silks ClubPublic Affairs Director Tang Yushu stated that currently about 70–80% of guests at Silks Club are Taiwanese travelers. However, Sun Moon Lake has always been a must-visit destination for many mainland Chinese and foreign tourists coming to Taiwan, which has driven continuous growth in surrounding accommodation demand. Baidu Maps recently installed a live camera inside Silks Club, allowing the public to enjoy real-time views of Sun Moon Lake. This will undoubtedly attract even more mainland Chinese tourists to visit Sun Moon Lake in the future.

In Yilan,Hotel Royal Chiaohsi, which claimed the title of the most expensive hotel in Yilan with a nightly rate of NT$8,425, Manager Guo Ying-shan said that Hotel Royal Chiaohsi has recently attracted many family guests due to its children’s play facilities. From an operational perspective, Yilan benefits from convenient transportation, so many tourists enjoy planning 2–3 day weekend trips to Yilan. With the continued growth in tourism, more lodging operators are entering Yilan, which will foster healthy competition in the local accommodation market.

The Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and CommunicationsSection Chief Yang Shih-yi of the Second Business Division also noted that hotel room rates often fluctuate based on seasonal demand, but some hotels use low-price promotions to boost overall volume. Therefore, although many tourist hotels have slightly raised their prices this time, future changes in Taiwan’s tourist hotel room rates will still be determined by market supply and demand principles.