Major hotels now open for business after virus brought under control

International hospitality groups are gradually resuming trade in China as the country has entered a phase of regular epidemic prevention and control.

As of May 8, all of Hilton's 250 hotels in the Chinese mainland had resumed business, said Qian Jin, area president for Hilton Greater China and Mongolia. He added that there were 150 Hilton hotels temporarily closed to new bookings during the COVID-19 outbreak. "Reopening all our hotels in the Chinese mainland is the first step in a measured global recovery process," said Chris Nassetta, president and CEO of Hilton. "We are confident that there are brighter days ahead."

Many of Hilton resorts were fully booked during the May Day holiday earlier this month. They also reported an improvement in their daily occupancy rate, Qian told Beijing Business Today newspaper.

More than 98 percent of the 470-plus hotels owned by InterContinental Hotels Group in China have been operating since May 5. This is despite nearly one-third of them being temporarily closed due to the epidemic, said Jolyon Bulley, CEO of IHG Greater China. Other hotels in the pipeline have also resumed construction work, Bulley added.

"China is IHG's second-largest market and the fastest growing one. We're confident of the long-term outlook of China's hospitality industry," he said. According to Bulley, the development of urbanization, growing disposable income of residents, and the improvement of tourism infrastructure and other factors will promote the continuous growth of China's hotel market demand.