Asia-Pacific

Dajia Insurance Group Co has put three hotels in the US up for sale, hoping to generate US$1.3 billion to take advantage of an expected surge in leisure travel and resort business. U.S. hotel operator Standard International is betting on Thailand’s post-pandemic tourism recovery. Bloomberg said Standard is hoping to power an expansion in Asia that will see it open properties in popular and less-explored destinations. The new $340 million dual-tower Docklands development in Melbourne, Australia will include a huge rooftop infinity pool, spanning 35 meters when it opens in 2026.

JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality Group’s  latest  Hotel Investor Sentiment Survey suggests hotel investment in  Asia Pacific  will continue to recover in the fourth quarter of 2022 and into 2023 with more investors looking to deploy the highest levels of capital since the pandemic started. Fortune Park Hotels , a unit of ITC Ltd ., said they are growing upwards of 20% in revenues over 2019-2020 numbers. Accor announced further expansion in India with the signing of Mercure Chandigarh Tribune Chowk , scheduled to open late 2023 and Novotel Mohali Airport Road, scheduled to open in 2026.

Covid restrictions continue to fall like dominoes . Hong Kong came through with their plan to end their hotel quarantine policy, putting it into effect before October Golden Week, beginning today. Macau’s hotel occupancy rate fell to just 33.3% in August, down -1.1 percentage points year over year. DBS said Singapore’s hospitality industry is on track for a “spectacular” second half of 2022.

STR reported China hotel RevPAR the week ended September 17   fell -11.5% year over year. When compared with the same week in 2019, China hotel RevPAR was down -40.1% Despite STR reporting week after week for the past several months that China hotel RevPAR has plunged again, Trip.com said hotel reservations in China surpassed pre-pandemic levels since late June . Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced the opening of Hyatt Place Bharuch . This is the second Hyatt Place hotel in Gujarat and the sixth Hyatt Place hotel in in India.

Marriott International  announced it expects to open  14 additional luxury properties   in Asia Pacific by the end of 2023 . Marriott currently operates 156 luxury properties in the region. Construction of the long-awaited resort at  Kalgoorlie Golf Course  in the city of  Kalgoorlie-Boulder  in  Australia  has finally begun. PT Platnet Properindo Jaya Tbk will initiate the operation of Citi Hub Hotel, Kelapa Gading in Indonesia in 2023.

The Wall Street Journal published an article on how  Asia Pacific may have reopened to tourism, but the recovery is slow . Oyo Hotels filed new financial documents with the Securities and Exchange Board of India. Japan plans to resume visa-free air tickets in October and  Taiwan plans to open its borders from mid-to-late October.

STR  said  Melbourne, Australia’s hotel performance  in August fell from the previous month. Preliminary August 2022 data shows occupancy at 59%, ADR at A$207.05 and RevPAR at A$122.10. Hilton said their Hilton Garden Inn brand is poised to triple its portfolio in Greater China and offer travelers an expanded network of 135 properties in the coming years. Louvre Hotels Group , an affiliate of Jin Jiang International , the second largest hotel group in the world, has begun construction of its five hundredth project in China.

STR reported China hotel RevPAR results for the week ended September 10. RevPAR was down -12.3% year over year while down -29.3% when compared with a comparable week in 2019. Hong Kong hotels have been told to set aside just eight or 3% of their rooms, whichever is lower, to house travelers who test positive for Covid, raising the risk of insufficient space for infected people if the easing of travel curbs come into effect. Asset World Public Company Limited said they are strengthening their long term partnership with Marriott International with an agreement to launch a new Ritz-Carlton hotel in Bangkok’s heritage riverside district.

Accor said they are experiencing a sustained recovery in their Western Australia hotel, apartment, and resorts network . Accor also said they are bullish on India , with plans to open mid-level hotels across metros and budget brands in tier-2 and tier-3 cities but also adds to its luxury portfolio with another Raffles property in Jaipur soon. The Park Hotels will run a 65-room hotel at the Digha Convention Centre. An agreement was signed with the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority.  

STR  reported  China hotel RevPAR  for the week ended September 3 rd . Year over year, hotel RevPAR was up 19.3%, still up against easier year-over-year comps. The DuGhassan Aboud Group has acquired Sydney, Australia’s Rydges Sydney Harbour Hotel for approximately $100 million. Radisson Hotel Group announced the continued expansion of their brand footprint with Radisson Resort & Suites Phuket .