Current status of Taiwan’s popular hotel group-What is marketing using “KOL” Japan Top News

This series has touched on the DX conversion and marketing strategies of various hotels in Japan. This time, as an overseas edition, we approached the current situation of the Gloria Hotel Group (Huatai Hotel Group), which has multiple hotels and restaurants in Taiwan.

The Gloria Prince Hotel Taipei, which was the foundation of the group, will unfortunately be closed in October 2022 and is being redeveloped. Currently, the apartment hotel Gloria Residence, which is ideal for long-term stays, the designer hotel Hotel Proverbs Taipei, which uses building materials such as red copper, black gold stone, marble, and walnut wood in its guest rooms, features a stylish space. The resort hotel “Gloria Manor” in the “Kenting National Forest Recreation Area” located on the Hengchun Peninsula at the southern end is being developed.

Betty Tsai, Vice President of Rooms Divisio, Gloria Hotel Group (left), Kazuhisa Takahashi, CEO of tripla (right)

As you can see, they are developing hotels with various concepts, but Kenting, where Gloria Manor is located, is a peach resort that is not well known to Japanese people, so less than 10% of the guests are Japanese. The rest are said to be made up of guests from Taiwan.

Gloria Residence, which is designed for long-term stays, has many guests from Europe and the United States. In this case, marketing is focused on selling various packages for enjoying long stays.

“In addition, KOL (Key Opinion Leader, a person who has specialized knowledge in a specific field and is like an influencer in Japan) is appointed as a marketing tool for foreign visitors to Taiwan. In the past, KOLs were introduced to us via OTAs, but recently we have been receiving more and more approaches from KOLs who want to introduce us on SNS.” (Gloria Hotel Group Betty Tsai, Vice President of Rooms Divisio)

On the other hand, we also place importance on guest reviews, which can be said to be the basis of hotel management marketing. If there are positive comments about the service, there are times when negative comments are received, but in any case, the full-time staff responds well.

“Although the impact of the new coronavirus has faded and the number of customers staying consecutive nights has increased compared to before, it cannot be said that the market for the entire Taiwanese accommodation industry and the status of international flights are stable at present. For that reason, it will be a little while before we start working on a full-scale marketing strategy for both domestic and overseas markets.We are already planning major promotions, and we plan to roll them out from the beginning of fiscal 2024.”(Mr. Tsai)

It should be noted that there are issues for domestic guests as well.

“Taiwan tourists often make their own sightseeing plans or use apps to purchase sightseeing tour packages, and hotel staff are increasingly being asked about this. We are also doing our best to accommodate them, but if the hotel side enhances the package that combines the sightseeing plan and the accommodation plan, and creates an environment that can reliably respond to the customer’s troubles during sightseeing, the satisfaction level will not increase. I think that the hotel can present a more suitable plan because it is easier for the hotel to grasp information such as the age and preferences of the customer through reservation information and communication.” (Mr. Tsai)

It seems that they are trying to provide various values ​​that go beyond simply staying, taking hints from the voices of guests.

The most talked Japanese hotel in Taiwan, the point to be chosen

Also, in this interview, he told me that there is a Japanese hotel that is becoming a hot topic in Taiwan.

“There are many hotels in Japan with compact guest rooms, so Taiwanese who want to stay in the same room with their family or friends may find it difficult to choose a hotel when they come to Japan.“APARTMENT HOTEL MIMARU” (MIMARU)is popular for its large guest rooms and perfect for family trips. Due to the narrowness of the rooms and beds, it is not uncommon for Taiwanese people to choose only international chain hotels with large rooms during their stay in Japan, but recently MIMARU has become one of the choices. increasing. Among the various hotels in Japan, there are many KOLs promoting MIMARU.” (Mr. Tsai)

Betty Tsai, Vice President of Rooms Divisio, Gloria Hotel Group

MIMARU, which I introduced last time, said that from the beginning of its launch, the rooms were designed with the target of “foreign tourists, mainly Southeast Asians with families,” and this attempt was a good fit for the needs of Taiwanese people. is.

The Gloria Hotel Group is dedicated to the pursuit of guest satisfaction, just like the Japanese hotel industry. After 2024, the Gloria Prince Hotel Taipei, which is currently being rebuilt, is scheduled to open as a new hotel, and it may develop new services and marketing strategies that have never existed before.