Luxury hotels like Beijing’s Beiyuan Grand are selling gourmet dishes on the street to offset falling indoor revenue. With travel, banquets, and private dining down sharply, at least 15 high-end hotels nationwide have adopted similar strategies amid broader economic pressures and weak consumer spending.

Beijing

Luxury hotels in China, such as the Beiyuan Grand in Beijing, are adapting to reduced consumer spending by selling their gourmet dishes on the street. This move has been well-received by local residents, who can now enjoy high-end cuisine at discounted prices. Despite increased sales of items like crispy roast pigeon, hotels report that street sales have not fully compensated for the decline in indoor dining, where private room usage and average customer spending have dropped significantly.

At least 15 high-end hotels across China have adopted similar strategies in recent weeks, reflecting broader economic challenges. Analysts and economists point to these changes, along with other signs like discounted supermarket offerings, as indicators of entrenched deflationary pressures in the Chinese economy. Experts suggest that further policy measures may be necessary to address these ongoing economic strains.

Chinese hotels turn to hawking food amid economic pressure

As Chinese consumers tighten their belts, luxury hotels across the country are finding new ways to stay afloat. Typically known for their gourmet restaurants and lavish banquet halls, hotels like the Beiyuan Grand in Beijing are making up for falling revenue indoors by hawking their food on the streets outside. The move has delighted residents like Mrs. Ma, who can now sample Beiyuan's signature crispy roast pigeon at a discount. Their place is quite well-known. I heard about it from my neighbors, so I came. It seemed quite popular. I came almost every day, except for one. I think it's a good idea and makes it very convenient for us residents. Since opening in late July, Beiyuan's sales director says that the stall has sold about 130 pigeons a day, compared to about 80 before. She said that while that's better than the average caterer, it's still not enough to fully offset the fall in business indoors, where private dining room use has fallen from full to about one-third in the past few months, and the check average per head is down nearly 50 percent. Beiyuan is among at least 15 high-end hotels nationwide hawking food outside in recent weeks, according to their social media and Chinese news sites. Analysts say that hotel hawkers are another sign that deflationary pressures risk becoming entrenched in the world's second-largest economy, whose growth leans more on manufacturing and exports than on consumers. Consumer prices were flat year-on-year in July. Economists also cite 40-cent breakfasts and supermarkets offering flash sales as deflationary signs. The change in strategy by high-end hotels might be a visible symptom of broader economic strains. Tian Chenshu is a senior economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit. I would say it is just pretty normal for businesses, yeah, but of course, I mean, China's having some challenges at the moment, yeah, so we now have, let's say, more businesses that are struggling, and then those are probably outperforming. If consumer prices, they are going deeper down, then it is a sign that more policies are needed, and more, let's say, fiscal stimulus will be needed, yeah, so that's true.

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