Hilton Promises Increased China Investment
Skift Take
Macau visitor arrivals rose 21.6% year over year in May to just over 2.69 million. That was 79.3% of the May 2019 arrivals number and 3.5% above April 2024. Arrivals from Mainland China rose 25.9% year on year to nearly 1.86 million.
Prestige Estates said it's going to raise up to Rs 5,000 crore via shares to institutional investors with plans to monetize its hotel business. This is all pending shareholder approval. Prestige Hospitality Ventures Ltd. would issue shares, either through primary or secondary channels or both, to monetize the hotel unit.
Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced the grand opening of Hyatt Centric Hebbal Bengaluru, the eighth Hyatt Centric hotel in India. The 152-room hotel is located in the heart of Bengaluru's entertainment hub, close to the airport. The 152 rooms include eight suites, seven long-stay rooms, and one presidential suite with terrace gardens that overlook the azure pool. There are two dining venues: Craft and Cosmo.
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts announced the opening of Ramada Encore by Wyndham Udaipur Roop Nagar, marking Wyndham's 10th hotel in Rajasthan state and its 60th in India. The Ramada Encore hotel features 75 keys, located opposite the Howard Johnson by Wyndham Udaipur hotel. The host of amenities include a lobby lounge, all-day dining restaurant and bar, health club, spa, rooftop swimming pool and a business center. The hotel is equipped with 5,000 square feet of events space with two banquet halls. The hotel is owned by M/s J&J Enterprisesand is managed by Nile Hospitality.
Hilton said they will invest more in China going forward, maintaining its rapid expansion momentum in the country. Hilton runs 671 hotels across China as of the end of May and said they are the fastest-growing international hospitality company there with one in every three hotel rooms under construction in China carrying the Hilton flag. Hilton has been opening hotels at a rate of 100 per year in the past five years. They have already launched 10 brands in China and is in the process of opening two more and is debating bringing in more brands. China stands are Hilton's largest market outside of the United States and is their fastest-growing.
Cross Hotels & Resorts announced they are expanding to Indonesia's Batam Island with a new 340-key luxury resort that is expected to open in 2027. Cross signed a major hotel management agreement with PT Yetosa Pratama Sukses (Puri Group) for Cross Batam Antapura, a 340 key tropical island paradise. The hotel is being developed under the 'Luxury by Design' concept. This will be Cross Hotels & Resorts' inaugural property on the island. Cross Batam Antapura will be a hybrid resort, offering a choice of 250 contemporary hotel rooms and 90 luxury pool villas, all centered around a low-rise Water Courtyard, located only 13 minutes from Hang Nadim International Airport. The villas range from one to three bedrooms. Amenities include gourmet eateries, a swimming pool with a sunken bar, a spa complex, fitness center, ballroom, wedding chapel and ample parking. Cross Hotels & Resorts' current portfolio includes 28 hotels under six distinct brands – Cross, Cross Vibe, Away, Lumen, Cross Collection and Kaura, across four countries – Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Japan.
Minor Hotels announced the signing of a management agreement with Boulevard Hotel Company Limited for a hotel in central Bangkok, Thailand. The signing will introduce Minor Hotels' NH Hotels & Resorts brand in the Thai capital and will be the second NH property in Thailand after the NH Boat Lagoon Phuket Resort. The 309 key property is located in the heart of Bangkok's commercial and shopping district, just off Sukhumvit Road, a 30-minute drive from Bangkok's main airport, Suvarnabhumi International Airport. The hotel is currently operating as Boulevard Hotel Bangkok and recently completed extensive renovations of its guest rooms, lobby, restaurant and pool areas. The newly designed rooms include a mix of lead-in and deluxe rooms and suites across two wings. The property's amenities include an all-day dining restaurant, lobby bar, meeting facilities, a fitness center and a large outdoor swimming pool. Minor expects to rebrand the property as NH Bangkok Sukhumvit Boulevard in Q4 of this year. In the interim the hotel will operate as the Boulevard Hotel Bangkok under Minor Hotels' management. This is the third brand from Minor to be introduced to Bangkok, joining Anantara and Avani.
Browns Hotels & Resorts unveiled the Ayugiri Ayurveda Wellness Resort Sigiriya. The grand opening took place on June 6th, a pivotal moment in Sri Lanka's wellness tourism scene. Situated amidst 54 acres of pristine natural beauty, Ayugiri includes 22 exclusive suites and is the country's only luxury Ayurveda wellness resort offering plunge pools in every room.
Suntrust Resort Holdings Inc., the developer of the long-delayed, under-construction hotel-casino at Westside City in the Philippines capital of Manila, said its board of directors agreed to a US$17 million loan from parent company LET Group Holdings Ltd. The proceeds are once again needed to fund the project costs and construction of the main hotel-casino. So far the latest date to open the hotel casino resort is holding, with Suntrust saying they still expect to open in the first quarter of 2025. In April LET lent them $38 million. The parent company has no choice as Suntrust mortgaged the entire company and their assets for a US$425.3 million loan from China Banking Corp a year ago and that has not been enough to get the project developed.
Personnel Moves
EIH Limited, a Oberoi Group company, announced that Kallol Kundu, Chief Financial Officer and Key Managerial Personnel, had submitted his letter of resignation with his last day expected to be September 25, 2024. Kundu has been with EIH Limited for 23 years, excluding a 15 month period between 2017 and 2018.