Atour Lifestyle (US:ATAT) Bei Jing Shang Bao·2025-06-04 05:42Core Viewpoint - The recent incident involving Atour Hotel using hospital pillowcases has raised concerns about hygiene management within the hotel chain, highlighting the need for improved oversight as the brand expands its franchise operations [1][4][5]. Group 1: Incident Details - On June 3, Atour Hotel issued an apology regarding the use of hospital pillowcases, attributing the issue to a serious operational error by their self-sourced laundry supplier, which has since been terminated [4][6]. - The hotel conducted a 100% comprehensive inspection of all room linens and provided documentation of the laundry supplier's qualifications and linen testing certificates to reassure customers [4][6]. - This incident is not isolated; a similar hygiene issue was reported in March when a guest found hair in the shower of an Atour hotel in Guangzhou, leading to over 1300 complaints related to hygiene and booking issues on the Black Cat Complaint platform [5][6]. Group 2: Management and Operational Insights - Atour Group is rapidly expanding, with plans to open 471 new hotels in 2024, a 63% increase year-on-year, bringing the total number of operating hotels to 1619, a 33.8% increase [6]. - Industry experts emphasize that as hotel brands grow, they must enhance management practices, particularly concerning hygiene and safety in franchise locations [6]. - A suggestion has been made to incorporate technology, such as embedding chips in linens for smart inventory management, to prevent hygiene issues and improve operational efficiency [6].