Thailand Leads Asia's Branded Residences Market With 23% Share

Shanghai, China, has a new three-year action plan that aims to elevate its global tourism standing. The strategic initiative is starting this year and is designed to solidify Shanghai's position as the premier gateway for inbound tourism in China and elevate its status on the global tourism stage. The six distinct areas outlined comprise 21 tasks to enhance the quality and reach of Shanghai's tourism sector. A major focus of the initiative is the development of world-class attractions, including theme parks, an international cruise tourism resort, and an eco-tourism hub. The plan emphasizes the fusion of technology and investment, aiming to create immersive and innovative consumer experiences that attract tourists from around the world. Things are already going well, as evidenced by the influx of 17.78 million visitors for the 2025 Chinese New Year holiday, which is up 6.08% compared to CNY 2024.

The average nightly cost of a Macau five-star hotel room in January was down -2.3% year on year to MOP1,550.2. This is seven consecutive months of year-on-year declines in average five-star rates. The Macau Hotel Association said the January occupancy rate of their five-star hotels was 95.2%, up by 4.5 percentage points. Average occupancy for the month for three, four, and five-star categories was 94.7%, up 3.7 percentage points year on year. As of the end of 2024, there were 24,194 five-star hotel rooms in Macau, which is 57.8% of the 41,837 hotel rooms in aggregate. That was down -14.2% from the same quarter in 2023.

C9 Hotelworks' Asia Branded Residences Market Update showed the top regional branded residences destination is Thailand, with a 23.3% market share. Phuket has the highest number of units at 4,771 across 26 developments. Singapore buyers are leading the regional buyers. Following Thailand in location is the Philippines with a 17.3% share and South Korea with 11.6%. Singapore has a branded residences market value of US$2.78 billion but has the highest per square meter value of US$23,026 per square meter, behind Niseko and Seoul.

Minor Hotels and its Chinese joint venture, Funyard Minor, have partnered with YouChao International Tourism Hotel Co. Ltd to develop Anantara Thousand Island Lake Resort. The 160 key resort is scheduled to open on the banks of Qiandao Lake in Hangzhou City in October 2027. The resort will span a total construction area of 36,000 square meters and is being designed to accommodate a wide range of guests. Guest rooms will range from 62 to 340 square meters, dining outlets will include all-day dining, specialty and Chinese restaurants, and a variety of recreational facilities will include a fitness center, swimming pool, spa, tennis court, tea garden, and a forest oxygen bar. The resort will be located 22km from Qiandaohu Railway Station and 150km from Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport.

The Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Sydney, Australia, is well under construction, being built in Sydney's Circular Quay. So far, the shell of all 26 floors is complete. Lendlease said this will be Australia's most luxurious hotel and at a cost of $520 million, it better be. The development is between the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. It will host high-end and celebrity guests in 227 rooms, offering luxuries like a rooftop bar and celebrity chef-operated restaurant. The unnamed chef has already signed on. The Hilton brand hotel is expected to start accepting guests later this year. Australian billionaires Nicola and Twiggy Forest are funding the project.

Hong Kong-based Hon Kwok Land Investment Co. Ltd. has acquired the 101-key Ave Tennoji Osaka in Japan for JPY 1.22 billion through its joint venture entity, The Bauhinia Hotels Group Japan 5. They purchased the hotel from T&M Co Ltd. The currently vacant property will undergo renovations to be repositioned into a boutique hotel to be leased to an independent hotel operator in Japan.

Reliance Industries Ltd plans to build a luxurious, seven-star Oberoi hotel in the heart of Assam. Their Chairman and Managing Director, Mukesh Ambani, revealed this at the Advantage Assam 2.0 Investment & Infrastructure Summit in Guwahati but did not divulge much in the way of details. Reliance plans to more than quadruple their investment in Assam to over Rs 50,000 crore over the next year years in different industries.

OYO parent company Oravel Stays said they launched the Sunday Emirates Grand Hotel in Dubai, next to the Financial Center metro station. Oravel said this is part of their plan to add 15 Sunday Hotels in Dubai in 2025. The property has more than 400 rooms in different categories such as Studio, 1 Bedroom, 2 Bedroom, 3 Bedroom and suites to cater to the diverse travelers. The rooms offer kitchenettes and the hotel offers on-site leisure facilities, including a gym, indoor swimming pool, steam room, jacuzzi and sauna. The 31st floor includes a panoramic restaurant. One of the hallmarks of the Sunday brand is its luxurious amenities. Oravel is planning to add more hotels in Dubai in and around key tourist locations such as Deira, Sheikh Zayed Road, Downtown, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Marina, Jumeirah Beach Residences, Business Bay and Al Barsha. Sunday Hotels was originally launched in May 2023 in India by the joint venture between Softbank and Oravel Stays.

Personnel Moves

Hospitality technology company Shiji has appointed Stephen Hopkinson as Senior Vice President for its Asia Pacific and Middle East business. Hopkinson previously served as SVP for Groups360's EMEA and APAC business, where he led sales operations.