Staycation wave sweeps holiday mood

Upscale hotels are rolling out events to add flavor to the staycation wave. Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund introduced a bespoke romantic suite package for couples during the Valentine's Day, which falls within the Spring Festival period－Feb 11 to Feb 17－this year.

Hilton Shenzhen Futian and Conrad Shenyang have rolled out family room packages, some of which feature recreational classes on cooking, calligraphy and tea art.

This year is likely to institutionalize staycations as mainstream lifestyle options involving local bookings made by local residents in China, thanks to a unique combination of "freshness and uniqueness", said Jeff Yu, a partner at consultancy Roland Berger.

"Staycations used to be sought after only among a niche group of 'travelaholics' who seek the very experience of staying in a hotel with delicate features. Now that the pandemic is barring long-distance travel, more people will start to appreciate the immersive experience a fancy hotel offers, the quality catering and local services and the ease of transportation," he said.

Facing a sporadic resurgence of COVID-19 cases in certain areas of late, Hilton has also implemented a series of sanitary measures to address potential concerns of guests.

Under a new initiative dubbed CleanStay, the company introduced stringent disinfection policies in public and private spaces, offered contactless room service and re-arranged table settings in the restaurants to maintain social distancing.

And to tailor its services to the longer-term remote e-meeting trend brought about by the pandemic lockdowns, Hilton is on course to introduce its new EventReady Hybrid Solutions in China. That will mark its bid to meet guests' requirements from IT readiness to multi-venue offerings when they host small online and offline events.

Confident about growth momentum in China, Khairallah said Hilton is set to open its 400th hotel in the country this year, marching steadily toward its target of 1,000 hotels by 2025.

"In typically higher-tier cities, upscaling and characteristic hotels are becoming new magnets for those with strong spending power and seeking authentic experience," said Yu. "With deliberative product design, 'staycations', as an under-tapped sector, is likely to enjoy very robust growth from 2021 on."

Wu Miaomiao in Shanghai contributed to this story.