[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The hotel industry, which was hit hardest by the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) fallout, is gradually showing signs of recovery. JW Marriott Hotel, which has resumed operations in the United States and China, announced that its room occupancy rate is on the rise.
According to major foreign media on the 1st (local time), Arne Sorenson, CEO of Marriott, stated at a conference that after reopening 350 hotels in China, the current room occupancy rate has reached 40%. This marks a recovery from the low occupancy rate of 7-8% at the end of January.
In the United States, hotels are steadily reopening, with the current room occupancy rate at around 20%. He said, "This is a meaningful improvement compared to before," but added, "However, there is still a long way to go."
Earlier, Marriott said that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has suffered "more severe financial impacts" than the September 11 attacks in 2001 and the 2008 global financial crisis, and announced that the temporary layoffs of some employees, announced in April, will be maintained until October 2.
CEO Sorenson predicted, "People are getting tired of working from home and want to return to normal life, but recovery to pre-COVID-19 levels will take years."
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