Handwritten Collection

Phuket's hotel market saw strong growth in the first half of 2023, driven by increased flight volumes, with Russia and China as top tourism markets, and higher room rates post-pandemic. Accor anticipates a surge in hotel conversions due to stricter lending rules, leading to more independent Thai hotel owners seeking franchising, rebranding, or conversion opportunities. Macau plans to invest in attracting foreign tourists but faces challenges due to airport expansion. Wyndham opens its first Wyndham Grand hotel in South Korea, and S Hotels and Resorts launches SO/Maldives in the CROSSROADS Maldives.

Asian ultraluxury resort companies are expanding into Japan to cater to wealthy overseas travelers and take advantage of the weak yen, with Soneva Holdings planning to open resorts in Japan by 2027 and investing 100 billion yen in new properties. Foreign investment in Japanese hotels increased significantly in recent years, with 2022 seeing a sixfold increase compared to the previous year, and an expected total of 128.5 billion yen in investments in the first six months of the current year. International hotel brands like InterContinental, Wyndham, Marriott, Hyatt, and Accor are actively expanding their presence in various regions, including India, Vietnam, China, Thailand, and Australia, offering a diverse range of accommodations and amenities.

Chinese tourists flocked to the Middle East during Golden Week, benefiting destinations like Dubai, Thailand, and Singapore. Plans were unveiled for a hotel in Braddon, Australia, with a unique design inspired by canyons, featuring 119 suites and retail tenancies. Accor plans to open 30 new properties in India, focusing on tier 2 and tier 3 cities, introducing additional brands like Swissotel, Movenpick, and Handwritten Collection.

Jefferies downgraded Marriott Vacations to "Hold" from "Buy" and reduced their target price, expressing concerns over the macroeconomic outlook, particularly in consumer credit and interest rates. The 2023 survey from the Hospitality Asset Managers Association indicates optimism about RevPAR's return to 2019 levels, while various hotels announce new completions, renovations, and sales across the U.S. Key personnel appointments are announced in major hotel groups, and international brands like Wyndham, Accor, and Hyatt unveil expansion plans and new properties in locations such as Barbados, France, and Spain.

In Q2 2023, the Asia Pacific hotel construction pipeline reached a record high of 1,936 projects with 401,766 rooms. Luxury, upper upscale, and upscale projects dominated the pipeline. Countries with the largest pipelines are India, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and Japan. Macau has surpassed Hong Kong as the preferred travel destination for mainland Chinese travelers in 2023, receiving nearly twice as many visitors. Around 50.9% of outbound Chinese travelers chose Macau, while Hong Kong received about 26.7%. Mainland Chinese tourists prefer destinations in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Accor is expanding its hotel offerings. They are introducing the Handwritten Collection in Thailand with the Andaman Beach Hotel Phuket, opening a Mercure hotel in Lucknow, India, and launching Lords Inn hotels in Jamnagar, Gujarat, and Kanki, West Bengal. Accor has also partnered with Reliance Industries and Renest Hotels & Resorts for new properties.

The FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 generated $2.98 billion in travel and retail spending in NSW, boosting the economy and drawing record audiences to hospitality venues. Hilton plans to open 25 new luxury hotels in the Asia Pacific region, including its Waldorf Astoria brand in countries like Malaysia, Vietnam, and India. Hotel Properties received approval for a S$1-2 billion project to redevelop prime properties on Orchard Road. The redevelopment includes twin skyscrapers, retail, office, residential spaces, and a performance theater, making it Orchard Road's largest property redevelopment.

The Philippines Department of Tourism anticipates surpassing industry targets for tourism recovery this year, with foreign tourism receipts of Php 286 billion from January to July, reflecting over 66% international arrivals recovery, outperforming the ASEAN average of 54%. Macau experienced a significant 24.9% increase in visitor arrivals in July, totaling 2,759,544, with mainland China contributing 1,910,371 arrivals. The Philippines led the source market for foreign arrivals, contributing to Macau's total of 14,405,421 visitors for the first seven months of 2023, marking a 310% YoY growth. Hilton plans to open over 730 properties in mainland China in the next decade, capitalizing on rising demand from the middle class amid a tourism rebound. Hilton achieved a 69.9% occupancy rate in the Asia Pacific region during Q2 2023, with a remarkable 79% year-on-year increase in Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR).

Hotel industry in China shows strong recovery with a 60.4% increase in RevPAR compared to the previous year, despite a slight decline of -5.5% compared to 2019. Prominent hotel openings and expansions include Hotel Morris Sydney in Australia, JW Marriott Auckland in New Zealand, Hotel101 projects in Metro Manila and Cebu-Mactan in the Philippines, and Mondrian brand's global expansion. Anantara unveils luxurious villas in Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort in the UAE, while IHG Hotels & Resorts announces the first voco resort in Egypt's North Coast, and Six Senses Amaala prepares to launch a captivating resort in Saudi Arabia as part of the Vision 2030 program.

The Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced the country has decided to resume outbound group travel to selected countries including Sri Lanka early next month. The Philippines Dept. of Tourism said it is aiming to attract 4.8 million foreign visitors in 2023, almost double the 2.6 million in 2022. The initial goal in 2022 was 1.7 million arrivals. Sri Lanka Tourism is looking at attracting 1.5 million tourist arrivals for 2023. They are optimistic about achieving revenue of US$2.8 billion from tourism for this year.

After 25 consecutive months of year-over-year declines, U.S. hotel construction increased slightly in December. Wells Fargo cut their price target on Airbnb to $130 from $165. They maintained their Overweight rating. STR said US hotel RevPAR the week ended 1/14 was up 33.1%. RevPAR was up 9.4% versus the same week in 2019.