Auckland

ITC shareholders approved the company's plan to spin off its hotel business, retaining a 40% stake, with overwhelming support from minority shareholders.

Marriott International expands its presence in Seoul while luxury brands like Aman Group, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, and IHG Hotels & Resorts are also entering the South Korean market.

Oberoi Group plans to open 50 new hotels by 2030, doubling the number of rooms under management.

Thailand’s commercial real estate industry is poised to perform strongly in 2024, driven by the ongoing recovery in the country’s tourism market, growing manufacturing sectors, and flight to quality and flight to green movements into prime assets across core sectors.

Taiwan’s travel industry expects inbound tourism to recover, with five new luxury hotels opening this first half of 2024.

China’s outbound travel bookings for the upcoming Chinese New Year holidays have surged more than 10 times compared to the previous year.

The Tokyo Edition, Ginza, designed by Ian Schrager and Kengo Kuma, is now open with 86 guestrooms, including 10 suites. It follows Edition's first Japan venture with the Tokyo Edition, Toranomon, and features large standard rooms and a blend of old and new architecture. IHG Hotels & Resorts and Accor announce multiple global openings for 2024, including luxury and premium hotels in various locations like France, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Thailand, and others.  Banyan Tree and China Vanke are dissolving their joint ventures, with Banyan Tree acquiring and selling stakes in different ventures for a combined 480 million yuan.

Choice Hotels International purchased more shares in Wyndham Hotels & Resorts in its unsolicited exchange offer to acquire the company. The Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index rose 9.3% in November, with the Hotel REIT sub-index up 7.6% year-to-date and the Hotel Brand sub-index up 30.6% year-over-year. BCD Travel forecasts a global decrease in airfares and a 6.8% increase in hotel rates in 2024.

Global hotel businesses are rebounding to pre-pandemic levels except in Asia-Pacific. Vietnam lags in recovery with reduced Chinese tourism and increased flight costs, despite aggressive hotel development since 2016. Macau's August hotel occupancy averaged 88.7%, with significant visitor growth during the Golden Week, particularly from mainland China, showing signs of a robust recovery to near 2019 levels. Wyndham Hotels unveils its first Auckland hotel, Espire Hospitality launches the ZANA Forest Resort in India, and Ascott Limited partners with Vimut Hospital in Thailand to offer combined lodging and healthcare benefits.

The Royal Thai Government is granting temporary tourist visa exemptions to Chinese and Kazakhstani passport holders from September 25, 2023, to February 29, 2024, to boost tourism revenue. Macao expects a high number of visitors during the upcoming Golden Week, with hotels projected to have near-full occupancy due to the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day Holiday. Galaxy Macau has opened Andaz Macau, the largest Andaz hotel in the Hyatt brand's portfolio, featuring 700 rooms, artworks, and a direct connection to the Galaxy International Convention Center and Galaxy Arena.