Indonesia Imposes Bali Hotel Construction Ban

Indonesia has agreed to set a moratorium on the construction of hotels, villas and nightclubs in some areas on the island of Bali as the concerns mount about the overdevelopment of land. This happened before, in fact it was for the exact same reason many years ago and for some reason they lifted it and now are right back to the same concerns. The pause is part of the government’s bid to reform tourism on Bali, one of Indonesia’s main attractions, to try to boost quality and jobs while preserving the land’s indigenous culture. The Interim Governor said he suggested the moratorium in four of Bali’s busy areas to the central government, taking aim at over-development for commercial purposes such as hotels, villas and beach clubs. The moratorium could last for up to 10 years. There were 2.9 million foreign visitors arriving through Bali’s airport in the first half of the year. Last year’s total number of hotels was 541, up from 507 in 2019. Despite Bali’s economy being dependent on tourism locals get very angry when videos of misbehaving tourists go viral with fights breaking out on social media.

The Macao Government Tourism Office is predicting China’s National Day Golden Week holiday to be the next peak period of Macau tourist arrivals with an average of 100,000 visitors per day. There was an article about how luxury retailers in Macau and Hong Kong are ready to close up shop as the visitor continues to be more of a mid to low end than what used to tip the scales of retailers and casinos. In other words, quantity of visitation is not bringing in the quality needed to sustain stronger gambling and high end shopping revenue.

Centara Hotels & Resorts announced the official opening of Centara Mirage Lagoon Maldives, set to open on November 1st as scheduled. The underwater world-themed hotel marks Centara’s third property to open in the Maldives and fourth resort in the group’s portfolio under the family-focused Mirage brand. The resort is situated within The Atollia by Centara Hotels & Resorts, a multi-island wonderland with access to two Centara properties. The Centara Grand Lagoon Maldives is part of the company’s Future Growth strategy and will include an expansive outdoor water complex with a lazy river, swimming pool, kids’ pool and water playground, kids’ club, Candy Spa and the Spa Cenvaree.

IHG Hotels & Resorts announced the signing of a management agreement with Sayadeo Hotels Pvt Ltd. to develop Holiday Inn Resort Pushkar, Rajasthan in India. The property is scheduled to open in January 2029, just a 2 hour drive from Jaipur. The hotel is expected to offer exceptional culinary experiences across three dining venues, a fitness center, pool, spa, retail store and six meeting rooms and a ballroom. Sayadeo Hotels recently partnered with IHG on the opening of the voco Jim Corbett. IHG currently has 46 hotels operating across six brands in India.

Indian Hotels Company announced the opening of Ginger Srinagar, Barzulla. This is IHCL’s second Ginger property in Jammu and Kashmir and is designed to reflect the brand’s signature lean luxe philosophy. Strategically situated in Barzulla, Ginger Srinagar features 64 well-appointed rooms as well as the brand’s signature all-day dining restaurant, Qmin.

Royal Orchid Hotels Ltd announced the launch of Regenta Resort and Spa, Chitwan in Nepal. This is Royal Orchid’s second property in the Himalayan country, situated along the banks of the Narayani River, a short walk away from Chitwan National Park. The property houses a total of 51 rooms including Plunge Pool Suite Rooms, unique Quad Rooms for backpackers and Premium Family Rooms with sweeping view of the jungle and Narayani River. Amenities include a multi-cuisine restaurant, in house spa and more.

Thailand’s newly appointed Prime Minister is set to call for the development of up to seven integrated casino resorts nationwide. She apparently has determined it makes sense to have three in Bangkok. Paetongtarn Shinawatra is expected to deliver a policy statement to Parliament this week and this is supposed to be a part of it. Each of the three Bangkok IRs would require an investment of up to US$3 billion. The other four would only require a minimum investment of US$1.5 billion.

Banyan Group is launching a new collection of Skypark residences in Phuket, Thailand. This follows the success of the Laguna Lakeview Residences. Skypark Elara Lakelands is located on a site adjacent to the Lakeview Residences, with serene lagoon views. Three blocks of the low-rise seven-story Skypark Elara Lakelands, totaling around 220 units, are being released in the first phase. Skypark Residences is one of Banyan Group’s contemporary lifestyle brands. Units at the new development will range from 54 square meters up to 186 square meters, in one to three bedroom configurations. At the top of Skypark Elara Lakelands will be the signature infinity-edge swimming pool and an expansive outdoor terrace with a barbeque area. Skypark Elara is located at Laguna Lakelands on the Central West coast of Phuket, next to the Laguna Phuket to which residences will also have access.

Japan’s first integrated casino resort, and the only one for quite some time, is likely to open in the western city of Osaka in late 2030. The main developer, MGM Resorts International, is waiving its right to withdraw from the project without penalty, two years before that deadline. The operator, Osaka IR KK, will begin prep work at the end of September for the IR. MGM is partners with Orix Corp, each owning 40% of the joint venture. The giant resort complex is located on Yumeshima, a reclaimed island in Osaka Bay that is due to hold the World Expo in 2025. The World Expo people want the joint venture to halt development while the World Expo is going on. The complex will include hotels, conference center, shopping mall, museum and ferry terminal along with an adjacent helicopter pad.

Personnel Move

Chalet Hotels Ltd said its Chief Operating Officer, Rajneesh Malhotra, has submitted his resignation. He will cease to be a key managerial personnel and member of the senior management with effect from October 31.