Hotels turn to esports to level up revenues

Industry-leading hotel chains are joining hands with Tencent Games to launch rooms themed around video games and esports as they seek to innovate and become more appealing to young people.

Shangri-La, Hyatt, Wanda, Jinmao and other major hotel companies have joined Tencent Games' initiative to create games- and esports-themed rooms launched on June 16.

The games- and esports-themed rooms jointly created by Shangri-La, Tencent Games and Tencent E-Sports were unveiled on the same day. Bookings for these rooms are open at the first five participating hotels. They are Kerry Hotel, Beijing; Kerry Hotel, Pudong; Shangri-La Hotel, Xi'an; Shangri-La Hotel, Chengdu; and Shangri-La Hotel, Haikou.

The rooms are designed based on games such as The Legend of Qin, Craz3 Match and Happy Poker. The room themed around The Legend of Qin, for example, features bedding, hand towels, slippers, bath towels and photo frames inspired by chivalrous swordsmen, according to news portal Jxntv.

The rooms cost from 1,000 to 2,000 yuan ($155 to $310) each, an executive with Kerry Hotel, Beijing told Beijing Business Today. "They are slightly pricier than regular hotel rooms, but they come with exclusive perks, game packages and restaurant coupons."

"The hotel sector, as a traditional industry, is looking for ways to change in this new era," Hou Miao, vice-president of Tencent Games and general manager of Tencent E-Sports, told Jxntv. "Games and esports represent what's popular among the young and are a combination of internet technology and cultural symbols. They will serve as an important source of content for personalized, experience-based and intelligent innovations in the hotel industry."

By joining hands with Tencent and bringing elements from games and esports into hotel rooms, Xu Caihong, a senior executive with Shangri-La, told Jxntv that they hope to attract a new generation of customers with innovative highend hotel offerings and provide a new approach to cross-industry collaboration.

Ye Song, a senior executive with Wanda, said: "In the future, outstanding esports hotels will excel not only in hardware, but also in content and interactive functions.

"In this regard, digital IP and digital experiences will have an important role to play in every aspect of a hotel experience, and this is where Tencent Games has an edge."

Tencent is the developer of popular games such as Honor of Kings and Game for Peace. In 2018, the number of registered users of Honor of Kings exceeded 200 million. In 2019, the number of registered users on Tencent's WeGame platform reached 300 million, according to the Tencent Games website.

Esports' ability to draw fans was proven at events such as the 2020 Wuhan Esports and Tourism Carnival organized by Tencent Games. It recorded more than 100,000 visits in seven days, six times the previous year's number, Commercial Real Estate Observation reported.

In 2018, Honor of Kings teamed up with the Harbin Ice-Snow World in the northeastern Heilongjiang province to create a cultural and creative scenic spot, which attracted a large number of Honor of Kings fans.

This not only boosted ticket sales for the scenic spot, but also enhanced the influence of the ice and snow culture among young consumers, according to Commercial Real Estate Observation.