Marriott International saw its share price rise by 8% after CEO Arne Sorenson said that all the group’s 350 hotels in China had reopened.
Sorenson said: “It’s not just leisure travel growing, but it is business travel. Chinese are flying again.”
Speaking at a Goldman Sachs event, Sorenson said that occupancy had passed 40% in China. In the US, it had passed 20%, with a focus on extended-stay hotels.
Commenting on the impact of the pandemic on operations, Sorenson said that the group was spending more on cleaning. He said: “There's a cost to the equipment, a cost to the materials, and there will be some labor costs associated with that incremental step, but I think it is imperative to do that to deliver to guests a safe room that can give them confidence they need to get back out there.”
Savings were anticipated in some areas, with less housekeeping anticipated during guests’ stays.