Australia's Boutique Hotel Boom Continues

STR reported China Hotel RevPAR data for the week ended June 24. China Hotel RevPAR was up 44% year over year for the week. When compared to that week in 2019, RevPAR was down -5.9%.

Macau’s hotel occupancy rate rose by 44.6 percentage points year over year in May to reach 78.9%. The occupancy rate of three-star hotels reached 81% and five-star hotels reached 79%. There were a total of 130 hotel establishments providing accommodation services in May, up 9 over the same month in 2022. The number of people staying in Macau hotels rose by 140% year on year to 1,104,000, up slightly from April. 793,000 were from Mainland China. The average daily rate for a five-star hotel room in May was MOP1,482.4 (US$183.8), 90% of the rate in May 2019. For the three- to five-star category, average rate was 96% of May 2019 at MOP1,317.1. Of the 1,104,000, 590,000 chose to stay in a five star hotel. The average occupancy rate for hotel establishments in Macau for the first five months of the year increased by 39.4 percentage points from the same period in 2022 to 76.7%. The total number of guests rose to 4,998,000.

CBRE Viewpoint said a travel evolution sparked by the pandemic is driving the growth of Australia’s boutique hotel market, amid heightened demand for unique and hyper-personalized hotel stays. CBRE’s analysis showed boutique properties outperformed ‘big box’ international hotels in Australia since the 2020 onset of the pandemic in occupancy, ADR and RevPAR. On a RevPAR basis, the basket of boutique hotels studied by CBRE performed over 50% better with occupancy rates and ADR being 21% and 27% higher than the luxury international hotels in the analysis. CBRE said the big reason is the recovery of Australia’s visitor economy has been driven by domestic, leisure-based tourism with the growth of the local traveler resulting in demand for a curated hotel offering. CBRE said the continued recovery of corporate travel and international arrivals, coupled with more Australians traveling abroad, may put this back in balance, broadening the mix of hotel business demand and ultimately moderate the outperformance seen from the boutique sector the past two years.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand, SiteMinder, and Meituan released data that shows over 1.3 million of the 11 million+ international travelers to Thailand this year have come from China. The figures suggest Chinese travelers may make up one-fifth of all international travelers to Thailand this year and follow TAT’s projections that international travelers to Thailand will reach 25 million this year. That would be more than double the arrivals from 2022. SiteMinder said weekly reservations from Chinese travelers to their Thai hotel site have increased by 79% since the start of the year.

Hyatt Place Yantai Development Zone, the first Hyatt Place hotel in Shandong province in China, is officially open. The new hotel is a 25-minute drive from Yantai Penglai International Airport, alongside easy access to the International Convention and Exhibition Center and Golden Beach with sea views. The Hyatt Place offers 512 guestrooms, free breakfast, a bar, fitness center, swimming pool and 300 square meters of event spaces.

Fairfield by Marriott announced the opening of Fairfield by Marriott Jaipur, the brand’s debut in the Indian city. The hotel is a 30-minute drive from the Jaipur International Airport and is located in the city center. The opening marks the twenty-fifth Fairfield by Marriott in India, offering 76 rooms including one suite. The hotels has an all-day dining restaurant, sharing the space with a lounge bar. The hotel also offers a business center and fully equipped gym as well as two event venues.

R.K.M Enterprises, a partnership firm based in Delhi, announced the signing of a Ramada by Wyndham hotel in Goa under a franchise agreement with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. The Ramada by Wyndham Goa Arpora will be located in a prime area of Arpora – North Goa. It is expected to open in 2024 and will feature 65 rooms, a lobby lounge, all-day restaurant and bar, wellness area, outdoor swimming pool, event space and a business center. R.K.M currently owns the Ramada by Wyndham Mussoorie Mall Road. This will be their second hotel in India with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.

OYO announced it would add more than 1,000 hotels as part of the Accelerator Program by December 2023. It also plans to add more than 100 first-generation hoteliers operating these hotels across India. OYO is also offering financial assistance to facilitate expansion in new markets, already extending support worth INR 10 crore. The Accelerator Program was launched in March with a stated target of supporting 50 first-generator hoteliers. OYO already added more than 300 hotels operated by 30 hoteliers since the announcement of the plan. Delhi NCR is a major contributor accounting for 40% of the hotels followed by Hyderabad and Bangalore,which together added 40% of hotels to program.

The Kamat Hotels India Ltd. announced its latest venture, IRA by Orchid Hotels, a chain of upper-mid-market hotels that blends tradition with innovation, catering to the aspiring Indian traveler. IRA by Orchid Hotels will continue the legacy of The Orchid, Asia’s first 5-star Ecotel brand. Kamat Hotels said F&B will play a pivotal role in shaping the identity of IRA as a brand as they will be one of only a few players with a strong F&B background. They hope to establish IRA as a brand synonymous with culinary excellence and guest satisfaction.

Jeju Shinhwa World in South Korea is planning US$760 million worth of new condominiums and shopping malls. The resort, owned by Landing International, opened on Jeju Island in 2018 occupying only half of the 2.5 million square meter land owned by the resort. It is located within the Shinhwa Historic Park in Seogwipo, southern Jeju Island, at the southern tip of the Korean peninsula.

Personnel Moves

Pride Hotels Group announced the promotion of Atul Upadhyay as Executive Vice President. Amit Sidana has also been promoted to Senior Vice President of S&M while Shailendra Singh was promoted to Corporate Chef for the group. Pride Hotels Group has a presence in 56 locations in India with 5,390 rooms, 109 restaurants, 152 banquets, lawns and conference halls.