Owners of lodging establishments affirm that these are part of the strategies to attract clients in a reactivation scenario.
The offer of “microstays” or accommodation for hours to encourage hotel occupancy on a national scale multiplied in the last year.
The different accommodation sites, from the smallest to the largest, have implemented this modality within their catalog of services to offer customers different possibilities of staying for short periods. The goal is to provide private workspaces away from the office or home and places of rest for people who have travel stopovers, says the Hotel Federation of Ecuador.
This new modality splits the rent of a room for the exact time that it is going to be used. Reservations may vary from three to twelve hours; after that time accommodation options are offered per night.
Other options that have been implemented with greater force, especially in establishments that have swimming pools and recreation areas within their facilities, are day packages that include, among other things, a snack or a main dish or access to drinks. soft limited. In fact, These types of promotions are the most offered on social networks, with prices ranging from $69 to $109.
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Antonio Valdiviezo, Swissôtel Marketing Manager in Quito, explained that the hotel has the option day use, which can be requested from Monday to Thursday through the establishment’s telephone numbers or via WhatsApp. The offer of this modality was resumed at the firm from July 2021, after the relaxation of restriction measures due to COVID-19.
Valdiviezo explained that the hours of stay for the day pass are from 09:00 to 18:00, for a value of $85 plus taxes. During this period, the client has access to a room for two people, use of the pool for 45 to 55 minutes, gym and a box lunch, which is a package with a natural juice, a sandwich and a dessert of the day.
One point to consider, Valdiviezo points out, is that the hotel prioritizes the issue of biosecurity in its facilities to provide a safe space for its clients. Swissôtel has the All Safe certification, which guarantees the adoption of cleanliness and hygiene protocols.
In HM International Hotel, located in the north of Guayaquil, The hourly stay was also implemented as a way to seek savings and efficiency. The hosting site offers the by hours for a cost of $38 plus tax, the full day for $65 plus tax and $80 plus tax regular lodging.
at the signature, The first two options are mostly requested and offered for people who are passing through the city and require a place to shower or rest before going to the airport, for example.
“These are trends that are already being applied in other parts of the world and that now in the country seek to position themselves to help in the recovery of the hotel sector,” said Holbach Muñeton, who heads the Guayas Chamber of Tourism.
But nevertheless, although this type of micro-stay works in some hotels, others still deal with the low influx of clients. Danny Romero, owner manager of Urdesa Suites Hotel, points out that in his specific case he is struggling not to go bankrupt. “In January, out of twelve rooms, one or two were registered. This represents less than 2%, we did not even reach the break-even point to operate”.
Romero lowered hotel stay prices by at least $10 in order to attract customers, but it hasn’t worked. “Insecurity is also hitting hoteliers; my clients often ask me if when they leave the hotel they are not in danger of being mugged or shot.”
A boost to the hotel sector
To André Obiol, president of the Hotel Federation of Ecuador, what these hourly alternatives allow is relax the strict system of check in Y check out that has historically been applied in the sector: “It is a break from the conventional and a somewhat desperate measure to take advantage of the assets that are empty, given that the sector continues to be depressed due to the decrease in business trips and the low demand for tourists, that still persists”.
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The leader explained that the strategy also seeks to increase the average occupancy rate, which is currently located between 20 and 30% nationally.
A platform and application, indicated Obiol, that lately is being used in the country is By Hours. The page is a reservation center that brings together hotels that offer the service by the hour. On the platform there are options, both in Quito and Guayaquil, for, for example, accommodation for three, six and twelve hours.
Inside of app, a hotel 850 meters from El Ejido Park in Quito, offers a three-hour stay for $25 and a twelve-hour stay for $40. Likewise, in Guayaquil, an establishment near the Kennedy citadel has double rooms at $18 for three hours, with Wi-Fi access and free parking. (I)
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