STR reported China hotel data for the week ended November 4. Hotel RevPAR in China was up 57.6% for the week, up against a comp of 4.4% growth in 2022. When compared with the same week in 2019, RevPAR was down -13.8%.
JLL’s Hotel Momentum India report said a total of 59 hotels comprising around 4,700 keys were signed in India in the last quarter. 34 hotels opened in the period adding about 2,400 with over 80% in tier-II and tier-III cities. Of the hotels signed during the quarter, 12 of them were conversions from other hotel brands, making up 23% of the entire inventory signed in the quarter. Last year in the quarter, 54 hotels were signed adding a similar 4,300 keys to the organized sector. JLL said hotel development activity will continue to grow in terms of both hotel openings and new hotel signings but they anticipate the growth in ADR will level out over the next year or so owing to the dynamic geo-political scenario that may impact demand to some extent. On a quarter to quarter basis, the FY24 2Q ending in September showed a marginal decline in RevPAR of -4.5% from Q1. JLL said this could be a seasonal shift in travel patterns with summer vacations and the onset of the monsoon season potentially affecting occupancy rates.
The Sri Lanka Convention Bureau is working to establish the country’s Northern province as a destination for MICE for South India. They are organizing Jaffna MICE Expo 2023, scheduled to be held from November 30 to December 3. The expo is organized by the SLCB under the patronage of the Tourism and Lands Ministry with Jetwing Jaffna and Thinnai Hotel in Jaffna serving as venue partners.
Hilton announced some of their 2024 planned openings in the Asia Pacific region. First up will be Conrad Singapore Orchard on January 1. That will be followed by Hilton Kathmandu in 1Q24. The second quarter of next year will debut Motto by Hilton Hong Kong Soho, the first Motto by Hilton in Asia. Also opening in the quarter will be the Hilton Shanghai City Centre. In 3Q2024 Hilton Kyoto and Conrad Chongqing will open, and then in 4Q, the DoubleTree by Hilton Vientiane will mark Hilton’s debut in Laos.
The Singapore EDITION, the first Southeast Asia EDITION hotel, opened just off the west end of Singapore’s upper Orchard Road. The hotel offers 204 rooms and includes a skypark and lushly planted, sunken garden. Food and beverage options include The Lobby Bar, FYSH at Edition restaurant, Punch Room signature bar from the brand and more. The second floor includes a spa with ice fountain, sauna, steam room and gym. There also is an 81 square meter boardroom adjacent to 340 guest event space. The swimming pool and rooftop terrace is accessible via the Roof Bar. Today was the start of the Singapore EDITION preview opening. EDITION is a brand from Marriott International that was created in partnership with Ian Schrager.
MGM China said they are preparing to launch major upgrade works to the premium gaming and accommodation spaces of both of their Macau resorts, MGM Macau and MGM Cotai. The upgrades include a re-modeling of the platinum gaming area at MGM Cotai, starting early next year, and a villa upgrade at MGM Macau which will also see the addition of six new villas.
Hotelier Vikram Puri has acquired an all-suite hotel in Goa from Sun Estates for about Rs 60 crore. The property is located in Candolim in India with suites sized 485 square feet onwards. Puri is the Managing Director of Archer Hospitality, the proprietor of The Astor Kolkata. They are set to expand the Astor brand after more than two decades of overseeing a single hotel property. Sun Estates said they were approached by Puri when they were building the hotel. Sun Estates has properties in North Goa areas such as Candolim, Saipem, Nerul, Pilerne, Assagao, Morjim, and Batim.
Mirah Investment & Development, Bali, Indonesia’s leading property developer, announced the launch of De Vello in Berawa. The private De Vellocomplex features nine villas in three and four-bedroom configurations. De Vello is granting a 100-year leasehold option to international buyers and freehold titles to domestic investors. The complex is located next to Berawa Beach, in Canggu, known as Bali’s jewel. In September 2023, Bali welcomed over 4.5 million foreign tourists. Mirah Investment & Development offers rental management services, concierge assistance, and property upkeep.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet is advocating for a resurgence in Chinese tourism and investment, highlighting the nation’s safety and open invitation to visitors. China was the biggest source of international tourists to Cambodia in the pre-Covid pandemic era. The kingdom received 2.36 million Chinese tourists in 2019, accounting for 35.7% of the total international tourist arrivals and about US$1.8 billion in revenue. In the January to September period of this year, Cambodia has seen 405,514 Chinese visitors. That is up 549% year over year but considering the Zero-Covid policy stopped the Chinese from traveling overseas last year, it is useless to show a comparison.
Da Nang, a beach city in Vietnam, has been ranked as the top trending destination for Indian tourists, with the highest year on year increase in searches on Indian travel websites. The Vietnamese capital of Hanoi also made it to the list and secured the fifth position as a trending destination for Indian travelers. Da Nang was the top trending destination with a 1,141% increase in year on year searches followed by Almaty in Kazakhstan at a 501% increase and Baku in Azerbaijan at a 438% increase taking the third spot. Hanoi was up 396% in searches, securing the fifth spot behind Osaka, Japan with a 435% search increase. The ranking was based on the analysis of search increases from India between August 7, 2022, and August 7, 2023, compared with the same period in the previous year.
