Quarantine boosts Westin Hotel revenue

The Westin Dhaka has returned to business riding on a mandatory quarantine at the five-star hotel for anyone seeking to fly to in some countries.

Its revenue has grown 117% in the first half of the current fiscal year from a year earlier.

Several officials at the Unique Hotel and Resorts Limited, the owner of The Westin Dhaka, said when anyone wants to go to any country from Bangladesh, they have to stay in quarantine at the hotel for 15 days in several countries.

Based on this, the hotel has earned Tk54 crore in the July-December period of this financial year.

Of the earnings, Tk21 crore has come as the rent of rooms which was Tk5 crore in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year.

And its income from food sales has been Tk29 crore, up from Tk17 crore in the same period a year ago.

Unique Hotel's Company Secretary Sharif Hasan told The Business Standard, "International flight operations have become almost normal as the pandemic has subsided. So we are getting foreign guests as well. This has brought our business back."

"Currently, flights are in operation despite government restrictions imposed amid a rapid surge in coronavirus cases. So, our business has not yet had a negative impact," he added.

Unique Hotel and Resorts had total revenue of Tk59.98 crore and a net profit of Tk5.57 crore during the July-December period.

The company's share prices fell 2.51% to close at Tk54.30 each on the Dhaka Stock Exchange on Tuesday.