Vietnam is planning an expansion of its visa exemption policy, aimed at attracting a larger influx of international tourists. Vietnam currently facilitates visa-free entry for citizens from 25 countries, a list that includes major European nations, Japan, Korea and several Nordic countries. Other Southeastern Asian nations like Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore have also eased entry requirements to drive tourism. Singapore has the most, granting visa exemption to 162 countries.
Marriott International said they signed 28 deals in South Asia in 2023 and so far in 2024, adding over 4,500 rooms to its development pipeline. Marriott currently has 160 operating properties across 17 brands in the region and expects to open 14 hotels in 2024, following the brand debut of Moxy to South Asia in early January 2024, the Moxy Bengaluru Airport Prestige Tech Cloud. 12 of the 14 hotels opening will be in India, adding approximately 1,200 rooms to the hotel chain’s existing portfolio in the country. If you take out China, India has the highest number of hotels and rooms for Marriott in Asia Pacific. Marriott will be introducing the Ritz-Carlton brand in northern India with the Ritz-Carlton, Amila Hills in Shimla, opening in May 2029. 77% of the rooms signed by Marriott in 2023 in the region were within the luxury and premium portfolio. In India, Courtyard by Marriott and Fairfield by Marriott represents 45% of the properties expected to open in the next four years.
Juniper Hotels shares began trading on the BSE following their initial public offering. They did not have the big surge like Park Hotels did, at least not initially, opening more or less flat at Rs 365, following the IPO at Rs 360. It took a little bit but suddenly the buyers showed up, sending Juniper shares to a high of Rs 397.7 on the NSE and Rs 397.3 on the BSE. Unlike the last IPO, Juniper Hotels was commanding zero premium on the grey market after muted investor enthusiasm. Juniper operates Hyatt-branded hotels in India. They raised Rs 1,800 crore in the IPO, a fresh issue of equity shares.
Blue Wings Tours & Travel Private Limited announced a significant partnership with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts to unveil the Wyndham Grand Hotel & Branded Residences near Fateh Sagar Lake, Udaipur in India. The hotel is expected to open in 2025 with the 9.5 acre property housing 140 luxury guest rooms, including private pool villas and shaded pools to provide an oasis of relaxation. The resort will also include banqueting spaces, diverse dining options, a fitness center and a spa.
Indian Hotels Company Limited announced the signing of a new Vivanta hotel in Uttarakhand’s ancient pilgrim city of Haridwar. The hotel is a greenfield project and will be IHCL’s third in the city, owned and developed by LD Ladhani Group. The 125 key hotel will feature an all-day diner, swimming pool and a fitness center as well as banqueting space of over 7,500 square feet. With the addition of this hotel, IHCL will have 10 hotels across Taj, SeleQtions, Vivanta and Ginger brands in Uttarkhand, including five under development.
Ports-to-power conglomerate Adani Group is set to build two premium segment hotels in the campus of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad. Adani operates the Indian airport and is set to make a capital infusion of Rs 1,500 crore over five years to set up the two hotel buildings. This marks Adani Group’s maiden foray into hospitality real estate. The projects are expected to come up near the international terminal of the airport, coming up as part of the airport’s development plan. Both hotels are expected to be in the premium and luxury segment with five-star amenities. Each will have 300 keys. Adani Group is said to be in talks with a hospitality partner for signing a new property at the Adan Shantigram township.
Jerry Schwartz has adopted the US white-label franchise style of management with four of his Australian city and country hotels. Schwartz has decided to put four hotels in New South Wales and the ACT into the new franchise agreement under a company headed by Scott Boyes, CEO of the newly formed Trilogy Hotels. The hotels include the Mercure Sydney, ibis Sydney World Square, Mercure Canberra and the Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains. Schwartz would not say whether he plans to tip the rest of his hotel portfolio into the Trilogy franchise model. Most of the hotels are under the old school management agreements that will not expire for a few years.
Dusit Hotels and Resorts announced it will officially reopen its Dusit Thani Bangkok hotel in September 2024. The reimagined version of Dusit’s luxury flagship hotel is situated in the same location as the original property, the heart of Dusit Central Park, which closed in 2019 for redevelopment. The hotel was reconstructed with fewer rooms, 257 versus the original 517. The 39 story hotel offers deluxe rooms and elegant suites starting at 50 square meters. Every room faces the green expanse of Lumpini Park. The new version of the hotel includes expansive banqueting and meeting facilities spanning over 5,000 square meters, including one of the largest grand ballrooms in Bangkok. Devarana Wellness will introduce a unique urban sanctuary concept designed to offer bespoke wellness experiences for guests, visitors and locals. Dusit will soon announce the line-up of food and beverage outlets.
Courtyard by Marriott announced the Courtyard by Marriott Phuket, Patong Beach Resort. The property was soft opened in December, 2023 and offers 300 guestrooms in its first phase with the remaining 145 keys scheduled for completion by the end of this year. The hotel includes a wide selection of restaurants and bars, a kids’ club, fitness center, four outdoor pools and three meeting spaces, located along the shores of Patong Beach. The hotel features four outdoor pools including one with slides, fountains and a water playground.
Following the groundbreaking ceremony of Taikoo Li Xi’an, a joint venture between Swire Properties and Xi’an Qujiang New District, The House Collective announced the latest addition to its growing family of ultra-luxury properties. The House in Xi-an marks another milestone in the brand’s expansion plans following the announcements last year of the new Houses in Tokyo and Shenzhen. The House in Xi’an will be located within the Small Wild Goose Pagoda historical and cultural zone, part of Swire Properties’ mixed use development Taikoo Li Xi’an. The House is estimated to open its doors in 2028 and will offer approximately 115 hotel keys and 55 serviced apartment residences.
