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Asia-Pacific
OYO Plans to Repay Debt Prior to IPO
IHG Hotels & Resorts ventures into Thailand’s Golden Triangle with luxury properties, while Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok undergoes extensive renovations. Six Senses opens a new resort in the Maldives, and Accor expands its portfolio across the Pacific region. OYO plans to alleviate debt through a buyback process before its long-anticipated IPO, while Indian Hotels Company inaugurates Ginger Mumbai Airport and Sarovar Hotels & Resorts debuts in Gujarat. Atmosphere Core introduces new hires and strategic shifts in the Maldives, emphasizing culinary strategies and upcoming projects across various brands and locations. -
Asia-Pacific
Accor Welcomes 23 Mercure and Grand Mercure Hotels in Japan
Accor is rebranding 23 Daiwa Resorts properties in Japan as Mercure and Grand Mercure hotels in 2024. The first Hyatt Place hotel in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, is now open, connected to Paradigm Mall. Swiss-Belhotel International rebranded an upscale property in Surabaya, Indonesia, as the Grand Swiss-Belhotel Darmo. -
Asia-Pacific
Accor Has a Record 42 Signed Deals in Asia
Accor aims for a record year in hotel signings across Asia, focusing on Premium, Midscale, and Economy divisions. Thailand offers visa waivers to Indian and Taiwanese tourists to boost its tourism sector. Macau experiences increased hotel occupancy rates, with significant construction plans for additional rooms. -
North America
New York City Hotel Bookings Boom After Short-Term Rental Crackdown
CNBC discusses the repercussions of New York City’s crackdown on Airbnb, suggesting that hotels will benefit from higher prices during the holiday season due to Airbnb’s cancellation of bookings after December 1. Legacy Development & Management acquired the Albuquerque Marriott Pyramid North and plans a $22 million, two-year renovation, including room upgrades, new amenities, and exterior improvements. Various new hotel development projects are underway, including a Marriott Westin at the Indianapolis International Airport, a Hilton-branded hotel in Decatur, Georgia, a Four Seasons Hotel & Residences in Jacksonville, Florida, and a $2 billion theme park called American Heartland in Vinita, Oklahoma. -
Asia-Pacific
Asia Pacific Hotel Pipeline Hits All-Time High
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. -
Asia-Pacific
China Resumes Group Tours to South Korea
China ‘s hotel RevPAR rose by 22% YoY as of the week ending August 5th, and by 6.7% compared to the same week in 2019. China lifted its ban on group tours to over 70 locations, including countries in Asia Pacific, Europe , Africa , and North America . Notably, group tours to South Korea are resuming for the first time in six years. Indonesia’s ONE°15 Marina Nirup Island opened, with phase two set to include a Westin Hotels & Resorts property by Q4 2024. -
Asia-Pacific
Accor to Add 6,000 Rooms in Japan
Chinese investors are shifting their focus from New York City hotels due to hostility towards Chinese capital. Radisson Hotel Group has achieved significant growth in the Asia Pacific and Europe, Middle East, and Africa regions with over 100 hotel openings and signings, particularly in Vietnam, India, Thailand, the Philippines, and China. Several major hotel companies, such as Sands China, Dharampal Satyapal Group, ITC Ltd., Accor, and Hilton, are making significant expansions, acquisitions, and rebranding efforts across Asia. -
Asia-Pacific
Radisson, Wyndham and IHG Expand Presence in Thailand
Radisson Hotel Group plans to open more premium and luxury hotels in Thailand , Cambodia , Laos , and Vietnam over the next five years, with a focus on popular tourist destinations such as Bangkok , Phuket , Chiang Mai , and Samui Island . Wyndham Hotels & Resorts aims to open over 15 hotels with 5,000 additional rooms in Thailand to catch up with the country’s tourism industry recovery, but they don’t expect a return to pre-pandemic levels until 2024. IHG Hotels & Resorts continues to expand its Hotel Indigo brand in Thailand , with plans to open the Hotel Indigo Bangkok Thonglor in 2026, offering 250 rooms, restaurants, a bar, swimming pool, gym, and meeting spaces. -
Asia-Pacific
China’s YoY RevPAR Growth Nearly Doubles
STR reported China hotel RevPAR was up 99% year over year for the week ended May 13 . According to Lodging Econometrics’ latest China Construction Pipeline Trend Report , China’s total hotel construction pipeline stand sat at 3,659 projects/680,959 rooms at the end of Q1 2023. Macau visitor arrivals rose 16.2% in April from March, up 275% year over year, to 2,274,050. -
North America
Hyatt to Expand in Upper-Midscale Through Luxury
Hyatt Hotels held an Investor Day today. They are forecasting $650 to $850 million of free cash flow by 2025 and will be 80% asset-light for their earnings mix. Effective Thursday, the Board of Directors of Louvre Hotel Group has appointed Federico J. Gonzalez as Group CEO. Hilton announced the signing of a management agreement for the first all-inclusive Curio Collection by Hilton property in the Dominican Republic , the new build Zemi Miches All-Inclusive Resort, Curio Collection by Hilton.