Star Entertainment

Hilton, InterContinental, Melia, Wyndham, Accor, Hyatt, and Marriott are among the hotel chains expanding their presence in various cities across Asia-Pacific. New hotel openings and renovations are bringing luxury accommodations and unique experiences to destinations like Hainan Island, Bangkok, Singapore, Tokyo, Sydney , and more. From all-women managed hotels to rooftop pools and innovative dining options, these developments cater to the diverse needs of travelers seeking comfort, convenience, and memorable stays.

Summer travel bookings on Trip.com have surpassed 2019 levels, with intra-regional travel leading the way and significant increases in Asia and European markets. Top booked cities in Asia include Bangkok, Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Taipei , while European users show interest in hotels in Asian and Middle Eastern destinations such as Bali, Dubai, Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Marrakech. Forecasts by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) indicate strong growth in international visitor arrivals across Asia Pacific destinations, although full recovery is expected to vary by scenario and region, with China projected to reach pre-pandemic volumes by 2024.

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.

Xxpectations for everyone in the Asia Pacific region was the reopening of China would cause a regional surge but so far, that has been muted. For February, the biggest proportion of tourists to Indonesia came from Malaysia , followed by Australia and Singapore . The Singapore Tourism Board has signed a new three-year Memorandum of Understanding with Flight Centre Travel Group Limited aimed at driving increased visitation to Singapore via FCTG’s global network. Las Vegas Sands is expected to complete their US$1 billion upgrade of hotel facilities at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore by the end of the year.

STR reported China hotel data for the week ended March 18. China hotel RevPAR rose 134% on a year-over-year basis, up against an easy -46% comp result in 2022. Marriott International announced the milestone opening of  hotel number 1,000  in Asia Pacific , signaling its continued confidence in the long-term growth potential of the region. Sabre said they have found strong demand among Chinese outbound travelers, despite high airfare costs.

The Hong Kong Tourism Board announced Hong Kong saw a provisional visitor arrival of 1.462 million in February, three times what arrived in January. Indian Hotels Company announced the opening of Ginger Chennai, OMR in Tamil Nadu in India. The World Trade Center Association and the Merlin Group have partnered to develop a World Trade Center in the Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority area, Salt Lake, West Bengal.

STR reported China hotel RevPAR the week ended October 29 was down -17.1% year over year. When up against the similar week in 2019, hotel RevPAR fell -44.8%. The South China Morning Post published an article on medical tourism being ramped up in Asia. The article focused on Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia  courting medical tourists. Bali is seeking to attract world-class hospitals to the tropical island, adding medical treatment to its roster of offerings.

The average occupancy rate of Macau’s hotels and guesthouses fell by -6.3 percentage points year over year in June to a very weak 39.1%. Ascott Residence Trust is proposing to acquire nine quality serviced residences, rental housing and student accommodation properties across five countries from its sponsor, The Ascott Limited. Accor , Ennismore , and Funyard shared the early progress of their recently announced strategic partnership to develop the international lifestyle brand, JO&JOE, across China.