Hotels going back to nature to soothe clients amid pandemic

In addition to offering guests "a bite of spring" with well-crafted seasonal treats, hotels are betting on nature-inspired activities to increase occupancy amid a COVID-19 resurgence in parts of the country.

"We spent the (Tomb Sweeping Day) holiday in a suburban hotel, picking tea leaves, digging up bamboo shoots and riding horses. The experience exceeded the expectations of me and my child," a tourist surnamed Chen from Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, told China Tourism News.

She stayed at Club Med Joyview Anji in Huzhou during the three-day public holiday, which began on April 3.

As part of a spring marketing campaign by French resort operator Club Med, the Anji resort launched themed activities including countryside hiking and crafting fake flowers, providing guests with a variety of recreational options, according to a China Tourism News report published on April 7.

Guests at Club Med Guilin, in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, have the chance to go hiking in the mountains to see the karst landscapes.

Data from multiple online travel agencies showed that a large number of vacationers chose to visit destinations close to where they live, with some of them simply spending the holiday in a hotel, the report said.

Sheraton Beijing Lize Hotel has launched a "spring tour" package, which includes visiting the Beijing Garden of World's Flowers 5 kilometers away, digital media outlet Jiemian News reported on March 21.

Chinese hotel management company Wanda Hotels & Resorts has launched flower-viewing packages in a number of its hotels. Wanda Yi Wuxi, in East China's Jiangsu province, has introduced a package that includes accommodation, a cherry blossom-themed afternoon tea and tickets to the local Taihu Yuantouzhu Scenic Area, China Tourism News reported.

"Bookings for the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday turned out lower than we had expected due to COVID-19, but we remain optimistic about the prospects of the market," a representative of Wanda told China Tourism News.

"For that reason, we have extended the period of validity of our specials and we look forward to a rebound in the tourism market after the outbreaks are under control," the representative said.

Vue, a hotel brand of Chinese hotel group Huazhu, has innovated its products to cater to the "psychological and emotional needs of consumers following the COVID-19 outbreak", a representative of Huazhu told China Tourism News.

It offers activities such as natural healing trips and hand-copying Buddhist sutras to help guests relax and experience nature up close, the representative said.

Gao Tianming, a researcher at the Tourism Research Centre of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told China Tourism News that competition in the hotel industry will shift from being price-based to value-based.

"Only hotels that can provide healthier, safer, more comfortable and more caring products and services will emerge more competitive and attractive. Only those that can meet the inelastic demand of guests through good quality and reasonable prices will be able to achieve lasting prosperity," he said.

Considering that most spring tours are family activities and road trips, Gao suggested that hotels focus on designing packages for families and road-trippers, and team up with nearby flower destinations or green bases to create a one-stop service comprising dining, lodging, transport, sightseeing, shopping and entertainment.

"Hotels have been making continuous efforts to survive," Wu Liyun, an associate professor at the China Academy of Culture and Tourism at Beijing International Studies University, told China Tourism News.

Some high-end hotels have taken measures such as reducing the price of dining, launching a takeout service, marketing its event spaces to targeted groups, hosting festive celebrations and developing products that have the potential to go viral－all of which are viable approaches, she said.

"Hotels should ready themselves in terms of products and services, and continue to explore the 'hotel plus' model and identify new directions," Wu said.