Hotels branching out to engage customers

Amid pandemic restrictions, luxury establishments offer food deliveries

High-end hotels in Beijing have been experimenting with new offerings to cope with the recent citywide suspension of dine-in services to help contain a COVID-19 outbreak. They have launched services such as home delivery, community group buying and online fitness classes.

Kerry Hotel, Beijing has launched a revamped delivery service "Waimai with Kerry", which allows customers to "dine on gourmet food without stepping out", the hotel said.

Customers can order a la carte or set meals by phone, the hotel's WeChat platform or food delivery services Meituan and Eleme. The food on offer includes traditional Chinese dishes such as Peking duck and Western selections of steak and pasta.

"Our takeout offerings are reasonably priced and we are doing quite well on the sales front," said a representative of the hotel. "Orders within 1 kilometer from the hotel are delivered by hotel staff, who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 and have a negative nucleic acid test result from within 48 hours."