Atour Lifestyle (US:ATAT) Zhong Guo Jing Ying Bao·2025-06-05 04:27Core Viewpoint - The incident involving a hospital pillowcase found in a hotel room at Atour Hotel has raised significant concerns about hygiene and safety standards in the hotel industry, prompting an apology from the hotel and a review of their cleaning protocols [4][6][10]. Company Summary - Atour Hotel has been certified as an "Assured Hotel" by the Atour Group, which is a cleanliness service standard certification that includes inspections of room cleanliness and quality of supplies [4][8]. - The hotel in question, located in Hangzhou, has a total of 96 rooms and has received high ratings for cleanliness, with a score of 4.8 on travel platforms [8]. - The Atour Group has a strong market presence, being the largest in terms of scale and market share among mid-to-high-end hotel chains in China, with plans to reach 2,000 hotels by March 2025 [10]. Industry Summary - The incident highlights potential vulnerabilities in the hotel industry's laundry and cleaning processes, particularly as many hotels outsource these services to third-party companies [7]. - The hotel industry in China has seen a trend where most hotel groups are building their supply chain platforms, but there is less emphasis on the oversight of laundry services compared to other areas [7]. - Atour's retail business has shown significant growth, with a revenue of 7.248 billion yuan in 2024, marking a 55.3% increase year-on-year, and retail sales contributing approximately 30% of total revenue [11][12].