Hilton Targets 100 New Hotels A Year in China

The South China Morning Post said Hilton continues its breakneck expansion pace in China, targeting 100 new hotels every year. They opened their 700th hotel in China on August 16th with the 275-room Conrad Chongqing. That is also the 15th Conrad-branded hotel that has opened in the country. Hilton said they could open a new hotel every two days on the mainland in the future. Out of the international hotel companies, Hilton trails only IHG Hotels & Resorts, which currently manages 740 hotels in China. In the first half of 2024, Hilton expanded its presence into 25 new mainland locations, including Changshu in East China's Jiangsu province and Guilin in southwestern China's Guangxi autonomous region.

The SCMP also published an article on Fosun Tourism Group's focus on winter sports facilities to tap people's zeal for skiing and skating. Fosun Tourism believes top ski resorts and entertainment complexes are in short supply in China even though spending on winter sports has increased 10-fold to HK$164 billion over the past four years. They believe the country only has 14 ski resorts with scale and quality. They want to grow that but on an asset-light basis with a focus on managing resorts for more owners of assets across the country. The last to open from Fosun was The Taicang Alps Resort in Jiangsu province last November. In June they signed an agreement with the Taicang government for an expansion of the project.

The average daily room rate in Macau's five-star hotel segment was MOP1,552.4 (US$193.3) in July. That was down -4.4% year over year but flat from June. The Macau Hotel Association said Macau's occupancy rate of the five-star hotel in July was 94.9%, which is up by 5.1 percentage points year over year. The average room occupancy rate across Macau's three, four, and five-star hotel segments for July was 94.3%, with an average nightly rate of MOP1,382.1. The average rate was down -3.6% year on year. As of the end of June, Macau had 45,700 hotel rooms, of which nearly 62%, or 28,300, were in the five-star tier. That is 9.3% above June 2023 which is part of the reason for the decline in rate.

Accor is ramping up their franchise model in Thailand and across the Asia-Pacific region, according to The Nation. The article said Accor is aiming to capitalize on the tourism industry, particularly in China and India, while adapting to consumer preferences. Accor expects demand for diverse accommodation options will rise, bolstering the growth of mid-scale hotel businesses in major cities but also in second and third tier cities across Asia. The franchise model enables them to quickly expand their footprint while optimizing resource allocation. To support the growth, Accor has relocated its global IT headquarters to Bangkok, something they expect to enhance their resource efficiency. The company is also introducing concepts such as the "manchise" model where Accor initially manages a property for three years before transitioning it to a franchise.

Marriott International's Autograph Collection Hotels brand announced the opening of Cicada Resort Bali Ubud, Autograph Collection. The resort will join the Marriott portfolio of over 300 independent properties in the Autograph Collection . Cicada Resort Bali Ubud, Autograph Collection is located just 10 minutes from the renowned Tegallalang Rice Fields, a 25 minute drive from Kintamani. The resort features 20 suites with valley views and 10 pool villas with an additional 15 rooms expected to be added in the near future. The room sizes range from 66 square meters to 142 square meters.

IHG Hotels & Resorts announced two new hotels in Quang Binh, Vietnam, expanding its portfolio with voco Quang Binh Resort and Crowne Plaza. IHG announced a partnership with Hai Thanh Hung Investment Joint Stock Company and Vietnam Royal Investment and Construction Co., Ltd for the two new hotels in Quang Binh province, Vietnam. The new agreement will see the development of two properties – the voco Quang Binh Resort, featuring 68 villas, and the Crowne Plaza Quang Binh City Centre, offering 232 guest rooms. The voco Quang Binh Resort is set to open next year while the Crowne Plaza Quang Binh City Centre is also expected next year but very late in the year. The dual property agreement signifies IHG's entry into Quang Binh. The Crowne Plaza will be located in Royal Landmark, a mixed-use development featuring a commercial center. The hotel will offer four dining options, meeting rooms, a swimming pool, fitness center, spa, Kids Club and an executive lounge. The voco Quang Binh Resort will provide travelers with a private beach, two restaurants and bars, both indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a Kids Club, spa and a resort center.

The Hyatt Centric City Centre KL is expected to open in the fourth quarter of this current year. The lifestyle hotel, located along Jalan Sultan Ismail, is right in the city center, close to the Petronas Twin Towers and the KL Tower. The luxury hotel is 21 stories high, the first Hyatt Centric in Peninsula Malaysia and the second one overall in the country. There are a total of 312 rooms, three dining outlets, and communal spaces that merge the natural and urban jungle of Kuala Lumpur. Included is a rooftop pool bar and lounge called @21.

AS Hotels & Residences Private Limited announced its partnership with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts to open a Ramada Encore branded hotel in Sector 84, Gurugram, Haryana. Ramada Encore by Wyndham will be located in Gurugram on Dwarka Expressway. The hotel will have 91 keys, including suites, all day dining, gym, banquet halls and meeting room, party deck and a swimming pool. The hotel is currently brownfield and is expected to open towards the end of this year as part of a mixed-use development project called 'Elan Miracle', a combination of High Street Retail with Double Height Shops, a Food Court, a PVR Multiplex, Office Spaces and the hotel.

Personell Move

Crown Resorts announced Ciaran Carruthers will step down as CEO of the company at year end. Current President and Chief Operating Officer, David Tsai, will become Acting CEO from September 1, Carruthers will remain with the company in the short term before leaving by the end of the year. Carruthers was appointed as CEO in 2022 by owners Blackstone to steer the business through a period of significant transformation and remediation.