Two of the city's top hotels are charging the same as last year for a Christmas meal.

The Portman Ritz-Carlton Shanghai said they wouldn't be increasing their prices, and their Christmas Day brunch would cost the same as their usual Sunday brunch.

"The Christmas Day lunch has been fully booked in our Tables restaurant," said Iris Yu, the hotel's assistant director of communications, "and we will extend our buffet lunch to the Palladio restaurant in response to demand."

A few seats were still available for Christmas Eve in the two restaurants, Yu said.

A Christmas meal at the hotel will cost from 498 yuan (US$72) to 999 yuan per person.

The Pudong Shangri-La Shanghai said Taiwan singer Chyi Chin would be a special guest on Christmas Eve and it was also not increasing its prices of 688 yuan for adults and 338 for children.

One smaller restaurant, however, said it still had to decide a price for Christmas dinner.

"We will consider more ideas to attract customers," said a spokesman at the Red House Restaurant. "We believe many people may cancel Christmas dinner due to the economic storm." The restaurant might lose customers if the price went up, but was also aware it could make a loss as ingredients were costing more.

Lily Chang, a middle school teacher, said: "Having dinner may be a style of spending the Christmas. But maybe I'll give up the dinner if my wallet is not full then."

(Shanghai Daily December 22, 2008)