India to Add One Million Hotel Rooms by 2029

The India Hotel Market Review 2024 by Horwath Hotel, Tourism and Leisure predicted India's organized hotel industry will add over 1 million rooms, surpassing 3 million rooms by 2029. They expect this growth to be driven by religious tourism, rising income levels, and infrastructure projects. The focus is on leisure and religious tourism hubs despite short-term challenges. Horwath expects major airport projects like Navi Mumbai and Noida International Airport (Jewar) to fuel demand, alongside growth in Bengaluru, Delhi, and Hyderabad. Mumbai will see major hotel openings this year, including Fairmont Mumbai and Hyatt Regency, further strengthening the sector. India's hotel market added 14,400 new rooms last year, with 67% beyond the top 10 markets. Leisure destinations formed 43% of the new projects, including a 12% rise in religious tourism hotspots. The financially listed hotel companies saw 36% average EBITDA margins in FY24, driven by food and beverage growth.

C9 Hotelworks organized a forum at Delivering Asia in Manila, with the discussion being on how the Philippines continues to rise as a key destination in Southeast Asia. The forum discussed how the rise in branded residences is a driver of this, combining luxury living with the hospitality services of top-tier global brands. Cities like Manila are said to be becoming playground cities, following in the footsteps of other cosmopolitan hubs like Bangkok, Miami and Dubai, combining luxury real estate with the region's entertainment, sports, gaming and lifestyle offerings. C9 believes Manila has the potential to evolve into a global playground city. C9 feels as tourism continues to drive growth in the Philippines, the fusion of branded residences and hospitality sets the stage for the country to become an even more compelling choice for travelers and investors, positioning it as one of the most exciting destinations in Asia for the coming decades.

Accor said they have elevated their meetings and events offering, bolstered by major refurbishments and the launch of new hotels designed to inspire and connect in Australia. Accor said the recently opened 248-room Novotel and 216-room ibis Styles Melbourne Airport is redefining airport meetings and events, combining convenience and facilities located just steps from the airport terminals. Meeting spaces include a grand ballroom, dedicated boardrooms and the Aerofoil Workspace, a two-level flexible working environment. There are three food and beverage venues. Accor's majority-owned Ennismore will debut its 25hours and Mondrian hotel brands in Australia. Accor is also renovating existing properties including the $70 million refurbishment for the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth.

The Macau Statistics and Census Service reported total visitor spending (excluding gaming expenses) rose 5.8% in 2024 to MOP75.36 billion. The problem is it was only due to a 23.8% rise in visitor arrivals as the spend per visitor plunged -14.6% to MOP2,157. Even the usually resilient overnight visitors saw a decline of -8.2%. 45% of visitor spending was on shopping, 25.5% of the spending on accommodations, and 20.9% on food and beverage. Visitors coming to Macau for performances/competitions averaged MOP5,076 per person and for MICE events, those people spent MOP4.323 each. Singapore visitors averaged the most spending at MOP2,834 followed by those in Thailand spending MOP2,598 each. None of them could offset the decline of -18.1% from visitors from Macau's main source, Mainland China.

After months of only hearing positive commentary on the plans for Thailand to legalize casinos, the opposition has been making it clear this is not going to go as smoothly as some think. We should note that this is very normal for the legalization of casinos, and we are really surprised at how some consultants and other sources did not point that out, given the disastrous legalization of additional casinos approved in Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam. The Bangkok Post reported the latest opposition is from former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, warning that the casino entertainment complexes will worsen social problems. He urged the public to prepare for adverse consequences and that the push for legalization is lacking a proper public debate. He also voiced concerns about online gambling and quite frankly, we have no clue as to why the supporters are pushing for online gambling as well when it is hard enough in this world to legalize brick-and-mortar casinos. More than 50% of a recent poll in Thailand came out against legalizing casinos. That is also perfectly normal. The problem we see is that Thailand is not a country where its residents take kindly to the government making their decisions for them, at least not in the past.

Radisson Hotel Group said they want to double their portfolio to over 150 hotels within the next three to five years, mainly driven by expansion in Thailand, where the tourism industry remains robust. They see Thailand as their biggest opportunity in Southeast Asia, with the attractiveness including natural destinations, visa-free policies and new activities and events. The group operates nine hotels there in four locations – Bangkok, Hua Hin, Pattaya and Phuket. The latest property to open is Radisson RED Phuket Patong Beach, launched in December. Four new hotels are expected to open this year. In Southeast Asia, Radisson has 34 hotels in operation and 38 in the pipeline, tallying 72 hotels under eight hotel brands. Besides doubling their portfolio in the next five years, they want to introduce two new brands to the region – luxury lifestyle brand art'otel and an economy brand, Prize by Radisson.

IHG Hotels & Resorts, in collaboration with Park Avenue Property Company Limited, unveiled plans for its inaugural property in Hat Yai, the principal city of Songkhla, Thailand. The Holiday Inn Express Hat Yai is expected to open in 2027 with 160 rooms, marking the first entry of an international hotel brand in Hat Yai. The hotel will feature the Holiday Inn Express amenities. This will be Park Avenue Property Company Limited's first venture into the hotel segment. The hotel will be located 25 minutes by car from Hat Yai International Airport. The Holiday Inn Express Hat Yai will offer amenities such as a round-the-clock Express Café & Bar, fitness center and meeting spaces.

Minor Hotels' Anantara Hotels & Resorts formally announced the unveiling of their first property in India – Anantara Jewel Bagh Jaipur. The hotel has 150 rooms and suites, including Premier and Deluxe Rooms, Deluxe Family Rooms and the 70 square meter Jewel Bagh One Bedroom Suite and Anantara One Bedroom Terrace Suite. The Presidential Two-Bedroom Suite spans 173 square meters. F&B options include the Amrit Mahal all-day dining venue and Rajputana Chowk. Another option is the Designer Dining by Anantara, with four courses made by a private chef, and served by a butler. The hotel includes the signature Anantara Spa.

The Indian Hotels Company announced the launch of Taj Bandstand, a new development in Mumbai. IHCL expects to commence construction of the hotel in 2025 and complete the project in four years. The luxury hotel, which will be built on a 2-acre site, will be a mixed-use destination featuring 330 hotel rooms and 85 premium serviced apartments, dining venues, convention spaces, and lifestyle amenities.