STR reported China hotel data for the week ended June 17. China Hotel RevPAR was up 59.8% year over year, up against a -14.3% comp decline. When compared to the same week in 2019, China Hotel RevPAR was down -3.2%.
The Ascott Ltd., lodging division of CapitaLand Investment Ltd., is set to increase its properties in Malaysia to 19 from the current 15. Ascott said they are going for growth post-pandemic, aiming to expand further in Malaysia, not just within the service residence segment but also their hotel business there for this year. Ascott said there are three hotels currently operating under management by Ascott.
Grand Serendib Hotel Kandy was opened recently with an investment of over Rs. 1 billion. ABEC and Grand Serendib founder Dilip Herath said this is their first diversification to the leisure sector after 17 years in the education business. The investment was done by raising capital within the company via a consortium of five directors. The hotel offers 24 rooms including two suites and a family room. The hotel also includes an infinity swimming pool, a rooftop area offered for private functions and many other modern luxury amenities. They also offer what they consider the best Yoga experience. Herath said after ABEC opened a branch in Kandy, Sri Lanka, he noticed the hotels there were lacking, hence his decision to open their own hotel.
Raimon Land Plc is planning to launch three new luxury projects worth 18 billion baht in Phuket and Bangkok in the fourth quarter. One of the new projects will be Rosewood Residences Kamala, a super-luxury villa development located on Kamala Beach in Phuket, to be built at a cost of 7 billion baht. The project will be branded with Rosewood Hotels & Resorts. The remaining two projects will be located in the Sukhumvit area and will include a branded residence condo project and a low-rise housing project. Both will be geared to the luxury segment.
Leisure Hotels Group announced the signing of an agreement with Auradoon Resorts for an upcoming boutique business hotel in Dehradun in India. The 60 key hotel is located on Rajpur Road and will offer a myriad of facilities for the business traveler. The hotel will include a restaurant, swimming pool, rooftop bar, private meeting rooms and indoor banqueting facilities. The hotel is located 35km away from the Jolly Grant Airport. The property is Leisure Hotel Group’s third in the business segment and will add to their growing portfolio of 26 hotels and resorts across North India. This is their 20th venture in Uttaakhand state.
Indian Hotels Company has launched J Wellness Circle, its holistic wellness brand. Inspired by traditional Indian healing wisdom and based on principles of Ayurveda and Yog, J Wellness Circle will offer curated experiences for rejuvenation of mind, body and soul. IHCL also has a portfolio of over 50 spa and wellness centers around the globe.
Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai said they are reopening AER, counted among the best bars in the world, after a year of complete renovations.
The Phu Quoc ecotourism, amusement and casino complex project, located in Vietnam’s beach-fringed resort island of Phu Quoc, has been approved to have its total investment increased to VND50 trillion (US$2 billion) from the current VND24.9 trillion. Given the lack of success of any of Vietnam’s integrated casino resorts, this is yet another bold move that so far has not panned out for any of the IR operators before them. The complex in Phu Quoc comprised five sub-projects – Bai Dai ecotourism area; Bai Dai-Phu Quoc tourism, service and entertainment site; and Vinpearl Safari animal care and conservation park, all of which has been open to visitors since 2014. The two remaining projects, Doi Moi-Phu Quoc island and Bai Vong convention center, hotel and resort site, are to be built shortly. The project is invested by Phu Quoc Tourism Development and Investment SJC, which was founded by Vingroup’s hospitality arm, Vinpearl. Vingroup has reduced its holding in the venture from 55% to zero, transferring its final 4.5% stake to an undisclosed party in March 2022 for VND1.68 trillion. In the first five months of this year, Phu Quoc Island has welcomed 2.7 million travelers.
AHARAI Vinh Hy resort project was approved by Ninh Thuan Provincial People’s Committee and approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment for environmental impact assessment. The Vietnamese project is expected to have a total area of about 49ha, construction area is 4.9ha with a total investment of 799 billion dong. There will be 82 villas in the forest and villas facing the sea. The hotel block will have 86 rooms and a conference room. There will be restaurants in the forest, restaurants facing the sea and more. Gia Viet Joint Stock Company has spent seven years just to get to this level in the development.
Atour Lifestyle Holdings Limited, a hospitality and lifestyle company in China, announced that Ms Rui Zhao tendered her resignation from her role as Co-Chief Financial Officer due to personal reasons, effective June 30. Mr. Shoudong Wang, who previously served as the other Co-Chief Financial Officer will continue to oversee the financial reporting and related strategic, management and operational matters of the company.
Real estate company Imd has broken ground on W Residences Cairo and W Cairo, anticipated to mark the debut of the W Hotels brand in Egypt and across Africa. W Residences Cairo is set to demonstrate the modern lifestyle of hotel residential areas. W Residences Cairo is being built on an area of 120,000 square meters with a total investment of EGP 14 billion. Imd has allocated EGP 10 billion for the development of the residences. The 300 units comprising hotel apartments and penthouses will be managed by Marriott International. All residential units will have a panoramic view of the sprawling urban park, gardens and open spaces of the mixed-use development One Ninety. W Cairo will be situated near W Residences Cairo on a built up area of 41,880 square meters and is expected to include 400 hotel rooms and suites with the facility also managed by Marriott International.
