A total of 15 two-star hotels and guesthouses have temporarily closed their doors due to a lack of guests in the wake of the novel coronavirus pneumonia threat, Ines Chan Lou, chief of the Licencing and Supervision Department of the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO), said today.
Chan revealed the figure during the daily press conference by the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre about the viral menace.
Chan noted that the 15 two-star hotels and guesthouses have a total of 364 guestrooms.
According to the MGTO website, there are 15 two-star hotels and 33 two-star guesthouses in Macau. Two stars is the lowest classification for hotels and guesthouses in Macau.
Macau had 123 hotels and guesthouses at the end of last year, according to the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC). A few days ago seven hotels, including five-star property such as the Four Seasons and Conrad, also decided to close until further notice.
All of Macau's 41 casinos and other entertainment businesses such as bars, cybercafes and nightclubs have been closed by government order since Wednesday. Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng said at a press conference on Tuesday the casinos and other entertainment venues would be closed for half a month. However, his executive order on the matter does not say for how long the closures are to last.
Meanwhile, Chan said it was up to hotel managers to accept online bookings for the time being. A number of five-star hotels are said to have suspended their online bookings sine die over the virus threat.
