Coronavirus and hotel death

Getting a hotel room in Hong Kong used to be painfully expensive.  A room on the island would always cost over HKD1,000 a night and even a room in one of the decrepit hostels in Chunking Mansion or Miramar Mansion would cost more than HKD200 a night.  Those prices are now a thing of the past.  The hotel industry had already been devastated by the ongoing protests, but now it seems as though there is almost nothing left as the coronavirus means that all travel has effectively ground to a halt.  The few travellers left coming through Hong Kong are now able to get hotels on the island for under HKD200 a night.  One friend who was staying in a hotel on the island even noted with confidence that even with those prices, he was the only person on the entire floor.

Walking along Nathan Rd, through the heart of Kowloon one evening, I could see very clearly the devastation on Hong Kong's hotel industry.  Looking up at the windows of many of the hotels you could see floor after floor of blackened rooms.  The few lights that were on seem to come from utility rooms.

Further along the road, other hotels weren't doing much better.  There were only a few scattered lights on the entire building.  Rumours have been coming out that some of the most famous hotels in Hong Kong are down to single digit room occupancy.  On top of that, many of the activities associated with some of the big hotels are also struggling.  The high tea at the Peninsula Hotel is often touted as one of the highlights of any trip to Hong Kong, and it used to require a long line up.  Now, it's easy to walk in and get a table, with sittings often only half full at best.

It's gotten so bad in fact that I have friends living in Hong Kong who have decided to stop renting apartments altogether, but have instead opted to move into hotels for the time being.  The price of a hotel is now far cheaper than renting your own place and you even have the added benefit of having someone turnover your room everyday!