Hotels expect full capacity during Golden Week, but visitor spending lags

Local hotels expect to be full during the Oct. 1-5 National Day holiday period, but visitor spending, room rates and food-and-beverage demand are likely to remain below previous years, according to Rutger Verschuren, vice chairman of the Macau Hotel Association and chairman of the France Macau Chamber of Commerce (FMCC).

Verschuren, who is also area vice president of Macau operations for the Artyzen Hospitality Group, said visitor arrivals continue to rise steadily and hotels are prepared for the peak autumn travel period.

While the Mid-Autumn Festival will provide an earlier boost, he noted that the longer National Day Golden Week is expected to generate the strongest demand. “I think we don’t need to worry about the numbers. The numbers are good. The volume of visitors is very steady, it’s growing,” Verschuren told reporters on the sidelines of the FMCC annual charity gala press conference on Monday.

“We expect a full house, especially from the 1st until the 5th,” he said.

However, Verschuren highlighted that hotel operators are seeing more cautious consumers than in previous years.

Spending across the market appears to be down by about 10%, affecting average daily room rates and outlays at restaurants and bars.

“The spending power is definitely a bit less than previous years,” he said. “We can see a reduction in spending of maybe 10% across the board […] and people are more cautious in spending on food and beverage.”

Around concerts and public holidays, visitor volumes and hotel occupancy have remained strong – particularly in Cotai. However, some operators face pressure to maintain room prices as travelers become more value-conscious and competition grows from nearby Zhuhai and Hengqin.

Verschuren said the hotel industry is accustomed to preparing for Golden Week, although the sequencing of the Mid-Autumn Festival before the national holiday makes this year’s peak season somewhat different.

“That’s a busy week for sure,” he said of the festival period. “But that’s mainly just a long weekend basically. But then the Golden Week will be much more intensive.”

On sector collaboration, Verschuren maintained that Macau’s hotel sector remains eager to work with government programs and private partners to improve the visitor experience, but he called for greater support for hotels on the Macau Peninsula.

“I think we are all in for the same purpose, which is growing Macau tourism,” Verschuren said. “Not only in numbers but also in quality of tourists.”

While integrated resorts have their own established demand base, peninsula hotels operate under a different model, he explained. “We don’t depend much on the gaming. We depend on the visitors’ interest in culture, shopping, exploring the authentic Macau.”

The hotelier cited tour buses, walking itineraries, smaller restaurants and lesser-known neighborhoods as key tools for generating activity beyond Cotai. “If there is any program that we can explore to work together … to create more vibe on the Peninsula, then let’s do that,” he added.