The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 in Australia and New Zealand generated $2.98 billion in travel and retail spending in NSW, boosting the economy and drawing record audiences to hospitality venues.
Nikkei Asia published an article on Hilton planning to expand its luxury offerings in Asia. Hilton will be bringing its Waldorf Astoria brand to Malaysia, Vietnam, India, and other countries for the first time as part of its plans to open 25 new luxury hotels in the Asia Pacific region over the next few years. In 2027, Hilton will open India’s first Waldorf in Jaipur, the capital of the state of Rajasthan. Hilton has a management agreement with the Dangayach Group, which will own the hotel. Hilton is also bringing Waldorfs to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Hanoi, Vietnam; and Sydney, Australia. In China, Hilton will add its top-of-the-range hotels in Xi’an and Shanghai, while Japan’s first Waldorf will open in Osaka in 2025, followed by Tokyo in 2026. Hilton now operates 33 luxury hotels in the Asia Pacific region. JLL estimates that the Asia Pacific region has 560,000 luxury hotel rooms, a number that is expected to increase by 90,000 in 10 years. See Skift story on Hilton for context.
Hotel Properties has received Singapore Urban Redevelopment Authority approval to redevelop three of its adjoining prime properties on Orchard Road. This project analysts estimate could cost between S$1 billion and S$2 billion. The proposed redevelopment of the Forum shopping center will convert it to a mixed-use project comprising a hotel, retail, office, and residential components on the properties with a combined land area of 14,027 square meters. HPL will build twin skyscrapers of 64 stories each, along with a 43-story tower, a separate 29-story block, a rooftop garden, and a performance theater. The project is expected to be the largest property redevelopment on Orchard Road.
Pan Pacific Singapore, the flagship property of Pan Pacific Hotels Group, unveiled its S$30 million transformation to showcase its Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts’ new vision of Graceful Luxury, with a suite of elevated guest experiences that reiterate the brand’s passion for excellence. The refurbishment initiative started in April 2023 with the grand reveal marked by the launch of its newest offering, Pacific Emporium, a new dining and retail space. The refurbishment also includes opening the hotel’s new destination bar, PLUME, renovated hotel rooms and suites, and the rejuvenated Ocean Ballroom.
The 194-key hotel Faber Park Singapore – Handwritten Collection will open in 4Q 2023, the region’s first Handwritten Collection address. Accor has partnered with Global Premium Hotels Limited to debut the Handwritten Collection in Singapore. Singapore’s Mount Faber will be the setting for the inaugural hotel in Singapore. The property will include a restaurant, lobby bar, and swimming pool. Accor plans to grow the portfolio to 250 properties by 2030, actively seeking new properties to be part of the Handwritten Collection in popular travel destinations worldwide.
Accor introduced its first Grand Mercure property in Agra, India. The new property is strategically located in Fatehabad. The Grand Mercure Agra is expected to open in September with 168 rooms. Culinary offerings include a multi-cuisine, all-day dining restaurant, an elegant bar, and an alfresco terrace restaurant. The hotel will offer a meeting space of 300 square meters. Laxman Das Goyal owns the hotel.
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is expanding its footprint in North India with the latest signing of a franchise agreement with Savitri Sales Private Limited to open Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Hotel in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The hotel will be located in the Katesar area of Varanasi, close to Ramnagar Fort and Ganga Ghats. The Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Varanasia Katesar will offer great connectivity to Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport. Spread over two acres, the hotel will offer 100 guest rooms, a double-height lobby lounge, all-day dining and specialty restaurants, a wellness spa, an outdoor swimming pool, and a fitness area. The hotel will also offer multiple meeting and event spaces. The hotel is expected to open by February 2027.
Hop Inn, a budget hotel operator in Thailand and the Philippines, announced a strategic investment plan of 10 billion baht for the expansion in Asia Pacific. Their goal is to achieve over 150 hotels and 14,000 keys operating across the region, with expected revenue to grow by 4 times by 2030. Erawan HOP INN Company Limited, a subsidiary of the Erawan Group Public Company Limited, plans to expand HOP INN to 100 hotels in Thailand, 15 in the Philippines, and 35 in other APAC countries. The expansion will be executed through M&A and new builds under lease-and-operate and franchise models. The first move will start in Japan with an investment of 1.7 billion baht to acquire three hotels and one long-term lease hotel, with 373 keys expected to open by Q1/2024. Three hotels are secured in prime tourist destinations within Tokyo and Kyoto, with one potentially closing by September.
ICD Property has partnered with SH Hotels & Resorts to introduce Treehouse Hotels to the $400 million Market Square development in Adelaide, Australia. The partnership with Treehouse Hotels was crafted with Axsia HTL, a hotel consultant. The hotel will have 248 rooms, a restaurant and a bar with alfresco seating, a café, expansive event spaces, and state-of-the-art fitness and wellness facilities. The phased development of Market Square is anticipated to see the commercial component completed by 2025, followed by the retail sector in 2026 and residences spanning 2025 to 2026.
Galaxy Entertainment officially announced the soft opening of the new Raffles at Galaxy Macau. The property has 450 suites and is expected to have its grand opening with the full property, additional restaurants, a bar, and a spa by the end of the year. This is the first entry into Macau for the Raffles brand, also the seventh hospitality brand to be established within the expanding estate of Galaxy Macau. The hotel is located on the resort’s east promenade. The building features a glass airbridge that connects the two towers on every floor and offers vistas towards the Macau skyline and over the resort. The lobby is considered a showstopper, an art-filled garden sanctuary landscaped with 90 trees, 50,000 shrubs, and seasonal flowers. The Raffles Lounge & Terrace takes center stage at the lobby, offering Raffles signature Singapore Sling alongside Macau-apt Million Dollar Cocktail, created by 50 Best Bars legend Antonio Lai.
