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Asia-Pacific
Foreign Investment to Japan’s Hotels Top $2 Billion This Year to Date
Foreign investors like Goldman Sachs, KKR, and Blackstone have invested $2 billion in Japanese hotel deals this year, driven by a hotel business rebound and favorable exchange rates. Hilton plans substantial growth in Southeast Asia, introducing a new Hilton Garden Inn prototype and adding seven new hotels in Malaysia, including new brands like Curio Collection and Waldorf Astoria. Accor expands across Asia with 30 new hotels, focusing on markets like Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, and India, while also partnering to introduce the Swissotel brand to Malaysia with Swissotel Genting Highlands. -
Asia-Pacific
China’s Travelers Favored Singapore and Indonesia in July
Chinese Hotel Performance: Hotel RevPAR in China increased by 37% compared to the same week last year, despite a strong 107.7% increase from a year ago. In comparison to 2019, RevPAR rose by 16.9%. Chinese Travelers in Singapore : Chinese tourists were the largest source of visitors to Singapore in July, doubling their numbers from June. Singapore experienced a 104.2% increase in visitor arrivals from China, contributing to a 95.3% year-on-year rise in total arrivals for the month. Hotel Openings and Expansions : Accor is partnering with Sarin Hotels for a new Sebel hotel in Wellington, New Zealand; Hotel Marvell, Byron Bay’s first five-star hotel, is opening with luxurious amenities; Melco Resorts’ W Macau hotel will open in Macau’s Studio City with 557 rooms; and Narai Hospitality Group is set to open Lub d Japan Osaka Honmachi, expanding their presence globally. -
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
Japan’s Inbound Tourism Surges Thanks to Gulf Countries
China hotel RevPAR increased by 27.9% year over year and by 13.7% when compared to 2019. Japan experienced a resurgence in inbound tourism, with GCC countries leading the way, and June 2023 saw 72% of the visitor numbers compared to June 2019. Several hotels, including W Sydney , W Macao Studio City , and The Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel , have announced openings and renovations to cater to the recovering travel demand. Additionally, CapitaLand Ascott Trust signed a Memorandum of Understanding for acquiring lodging assets in the UK, Ireland, and Indonesia. -
Asia-Pacific
Radisson to Open 5 Hotels in Bangkok
Radisson Hotel Group will open the Radisson Hotel Ploenchit Bangkok in Q2 2024, aiming to double its footprint in Thailand by mid-2024. The Laguna, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Nusa Dua, Bali , will open in July 2023 after a year of renovations, including the addition of new facilities and restaurants. Legoland Shenzhen Resort , the largest Legoland Resort in the world, is set to open in 2024, featuring theme parks, water parks, and three themed hotels. -
Asia-Pacific
Chinese Domestic Tourism Surges During May Day Holiday
Chinese domestic tourism rebounds strongly, reaching 119% of pre-pandemic levels during the May Day holiday, while international travel remains slow. Fitch Ratings highlights the encouraging recovery trajectory of the domestic tourism industry, driven by pent-up demand and limited outbound flight options. Despite the increase in domestic trips, spending remains nearly flat due to factors such as low-income travelers, visits to lower-tier cities, and short-distance trips. -
Asia-Pacific
Singapore Has Another 1 Million Visitor Month
The Singapore Tourism Board said 1.13 million tourist arrivals were recorded in April, the second consecutive month of more than a million arrivals. The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism believes they may attract 10 million foreign tourist arrivals this year, surpassing the target of 8 million previously set. Savills Hanoi said the hospitality industry of Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi is on the mend on the back of surges in both international and domestic tourist arrivals . -
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. -
Asia-Pacific
Mandarin Oriental’s New CEO, Radisson’s Deal With La Vie
Mandarin Oriental announced that Laurent Kleitman will be taking over for James Riley as group chief executive from September 1, 2023. Radisson Hotel Group and La Vie Hotels & Resorts announced the signing of a Master Collaboration Agreement to add over 30 hotels to the Group’s portfolio over the next 10 years. ONYX Hospitality Group has signed a business alliance agreement with Walton Asset Management Co., Ltd. to manage Shama Luxe Sukhumvit Bangkok . -
Asia-Pacific
Meetings and Events Boost Southeast Asian Hotels
STR said Southeast Asia’s hotel industry is seeing the return of MICE . While leisure travel has shown the most resilience in the region, much of the recent demand in Southeast Asia can be linked to MICE travel and events. The Singapore Tourism Board said the number of visitors from India rose by 3.5x in the first quarter of 2023, year over year. IHG Hotels & Resorts announced plans to expand its presence in Asia through developments in Nepal and Indonesia .