Liao Guohong, the third-generation successor of the Howard Group and front manager of the Howard Plaza Hotel in Taichung, died suddenly at the age of 55. (Provided by Howard Hotel)
Liao Guohong, the third generation successor of the Howard Group and former director of the Howard Plaza Hotel in Taichung, passed away suddenly at the age of 55. He was recognized by the industry as one of Taiwan's hotel elites. He was the chairman of the Taichung Tourist Hotels Association and actively promoted Taichung tourism and international tourism. Regarding the development of the tourist market, during the period when the COVID-19 epidemic was easing, we saw the industry cutting prices to compete for customers. He bluntly said, "You don't have to break your bones." He called on the government to promote epidemic prevention and travel with peace of mind to revive consumer confidence and re-examine the overall tourism software and hardware environment.
It is understood that Liao Guohong just returned to Taiwan from abroad a few days ago, but he fainted not long after getting off the plane and was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. At that time, he was diagnosed with cerebral hemorrhage and the condition was serious. He was admitted to the intensive care unit. Unexpectedly, he was still unable to save his life after more than 10 days of rescue. He passed away on September 4 at the age of 55.
Liao Guohong was elected as the 14th chairman of the Taichung City Tourist Hotel Business Association. During his tenure, he emphasized that he would continue to serve members, listen to the needs of the industry, and cooperate with the Taichung City Government Tourism Bureau. In addition to expanding the market for international tourists to Taichung, he also hopes to expand cooperation with tourism operators in the central region to enhance the overall tourism industry energy.
He was also recognized by the owner representative as an "Excellent Tourism Industry Practitioner" by the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation. At that time, he promised to lead members to open communication, coordinate and cooperate with relevant government units, increase the output value of the tourism industry, and allow the Taichung City Tourism Hotel Business Association to continue to develop internationally.
During the COVID-19 epidemic, the hotel and accommodation industry suffered heavy losses. Liao Guohong also publicly spoke out for the tourism and accommodation industry. When the epidemic slowed down in June 2020, he admitted that the hotel occupancy rate was still not ideal at that time, and hoteliers frequently promoted discounts to attract customers. However, he bluntly said, "Don't break your bones!" He believed that if the tourism and accommodation industry only relies on price competition, it may fall into a vicious cycle in the long run.
At that time, Liao Guohong believed that after the epidemic slowed down, the government's promotion of epidemic prevention and safe travel should further restore consumer confidence. The central and local governments should also re-examine the overall software and hardware environment of tourism, starting from policies and industrial structures, to improve tourism quality and output value, so that the tourism and accommodation industry can operate sustainably, rather than falling into the dilemma of "only discounts can attract guests."
