A pair of slippers has torn off the fig leaf of a luxury hotel.

Author | Wang Hanyu

Editor | Zhang Fan

Changzhou Marriott Hotel has been exposed for reusing disposable slippers, once again pulling off the fig leaf of luxury hotels.

Recently, a guest reported that Changzhou Marriott Hotel in Jiangsu reused disposable slippers. The evidence is that the white slippers were obviously pilling, and there was also hair inside the slippers.

One day later, the staff of Changzhou Marriott Hotel replied to the outside world that the hotel slippers are not disposable items. They implement the system of "changing and disinfecting for each guest". After strict cleaning and disinfection procedures, they are recycled and usually used two to three times. The pilling phenomenon is a normal situation that may occur during the machine - washing process of cotton materials and does not mean they are unclean.

Although the Changzhou Health Supervision Institute and the Xinbei District Health Supervision Institute once stated during the investigation that slippers marked as single - use are strictly prohibited from being reused; if they are non - disposable slippers, they can also be reused after being cleaned and disinfected in accordance with regulations.

However, regardless of whether the practices of Changzhou Marriott Hotel comply with the current regulatory standards, it has long deviated from the long - term default service standards of luxury hotels in the minds of customers. In addition, against the background of excessive market supply and declining profitability, this also highlights once again the challenge faced by the hotel industry, where hotel owners emphasize more on return on investment.

Marriott's performance in Greater China has declined

More than a month ago, the second - quarter performance report for 2025 disclosed by Marriott International seemed to have torn a rift for this "hygiene incident" in advance.

Financial data shows that in the second quarter, Marriott International's total revenue was approximately $6.744 billion, a year - on - year increase of 4.73%; the net profit was approximately $763 million, a year - on - year decrease of 1.17%.

Looking at different regions, Marriott International's performance in Greater China almost led the decline globally.

For example, in terms of RevPAR (Revenue Per Available Room), a core indicator reflecting hotel operating quality, in the second quarter, only Greater China recorded a year - on - year decline of 0.5% among all regions of Marriott International. At the same time, the Middle East and Africa region had the highest year - on - year increase in RevPAR, reaching 14%; the Asia - Pacific region excluding China had a year - on - year increase of 8.8% in RevPAR; the European region and the Caribbean and Latin American regions had year - on - year increases of 3.8% and 3% respectively in RevPAR.

The situation of core indicators of Marriott International in different regions in the second quarter. Source: Corporate financial report

In terms of average daily rate, in the second quarter, the ADR (Average Daily Rate) of Marriott International's global hotels was $188.25, a year - on - year increase of 1.9%. Among them, the average daily rate of hotels in Greater China was $110.29, a year - on - year decrease of 0.9%. Compared with other international markets, the average daily rate in the European region was $237.71, a year - on - year increase of 1.5%; the average daily rate in the Middle East and Africa region was $183.59, a year - on - year increase of 7.6%.

In addition, considering OCC (Occupancy Rate), the OCC of Marriott International's global hotels was 72.2%, a year - on - year decrease of 0.3 percentage points. Among them, the OCC in the European region was 75.3%, a year - on - year increase of 1.6 percentage points; the OCC in the Middle East and Africa region was 68.2%, a year - on - year increase of 3.8 percentage points. In contrast, the OCC in Greater China was slightly lower, at 66.9%, a year - on - year increase of 0.3 percentage points. The OCC in the Caribbean and Latin American regions was 62%, a year - on - year decrease of 1.7 percentage points.

The poor performance of several key indicators means that Marriott International's performance in Greater China has regressed. In addition, although based on the business model of partial light - asset expansion, the profitability of each contracted hotel does not directly affect Marriott International's own performance, but the operational capabilities reflected by this still influence the willingness of domestic hotel owners to sign contracts with the Marriott brand, which in turn affects the number of new stores opened and service fee income.

Precisely because of this, operations such as reusing slippers may also be influenced by the hotel owners' requests for Marriott's brand management to further control costs and improve profitability.

Actually, the pressure on the domestic high - end hotel market has been apparent since last year. The 2024 annual reports show that while many international hotel groups such as Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Wyndham, and Accor maintained an upward trend in the global market, the RevPAR in Greater China declined collectively.

For example, last year, Marriott International's RevPAR in Greater China was $78.91, a year - on - year decrease of 2.3%, while its global year - on - year growth rate was 4.3%.

Behind this phenomenon, international high - end chain brands like Marriott are collectively facing the pressure of rapid market supply and structural adjustment of investors.

Excessive market supply forces the "facade" to transform

In the past two years, with the gradual recovery of travel demand and the concentrated release of idle properties into the market, the expansion of the hotel industry has accelerated.

According to the "2025 China Hotel Investment White Paper" released by HotelHome, as of the end of 2024, the number of hotels with 15 or more rooms in the country was 370,300, a significant increase of 34.21% compared with the end of 2020; the number of hotel rooms with 15 or more rooms in the country was 18.4669 million, a 24.28% increase compared with the end of 2020.

In addition, as of the end of 2024, the number of chain hotels in the country was 59,600, a 52.92% increase compared with 2020.

Excessive market supply, combined with macro - factors such as consumers' willingness to pay, has led to a significant change: price competition among hotels has intensified, and the profit per room has become thinner.

In 2025, according to data from STR, a hotel information statistics agency, in the first half of the year, the overall RevPAR of the Chinese hotel industry decreased by 5% year - on - year, with both occupancy rate and average room rate declining. Among them, high - end and lower - level hotels were under pressure from the new supply, and their RevPAR decline ranged from 6% to 8%.

In addition, luxury hotel brands also face the challenge of "identity" transformation.

Previously, the luxury product lines of hotel groups such as Marriott and InterContinental sank into third - tier cities in China along with the rhythm of real estate expansion - at that time, the planning for many land transfers required the construction of five - star hotels.

For investors (usually real estate developers), five - star hotels were more like tools for them to acquire land and drive up housing prices, serving as the "facade", and profitability was often ranked second.

For example, looking at the shareholder background of the aforementioned Changzhou Marriott Hotel shown on the AiQicha App, it can be found that it belongs to Changzhou Guangdian Real Estate Co., Ltd., a company mainly engaged in real estate development.

Although further penetration of the equity shows that this company is not a typical real estate developer. But for the Marriott Hotel it owns, like most of its peers, in the current situation where hotel owners are in a downward cycle and pay more attention to return on investment, it has to accelerate the transformation from its former "facade" identity and take on more responsibility for "making money".

In this reality, it is not surprising to see operations such as recycling slippers through flexible adjustment of luxury experiences.

*Disclaimer:

The content of this article only represents the author's views.

The market is risky, and investment should be made with caution. Under no circumstances does the information in this article or the opinions expressed constitute investment advice for anyone. Before making an investment decision, if necessary, investors must consult professionals and make decisions carefully. We have no intention of providing underwriting services or any services that require specific qualifications or licenses for the trading parties.

Follow to get more information