Kuala Lumpur

H ilton’s Asia Pacific president, Alan Watts , told Nikkei Asia that they expect hotel guest numbers in China to return to their pre-pandemic levels by year-end . The Macau Daily Times said they are being told the recent spike in hotel room prices in Macau is driving international visitors away. SJM Holdings Ltd said they plan to launch the remainder of the hotel room inventory at its Grand Lisboa Palace on Cotai in Macau  within the next quarter.

Savills Vietnam issued a report saying despite improvements in 2022, occupancy and room rates in Ho Chi Minh City have yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels . Thai hotel operators are ramping up plans to expand investment at home and abroad according to Nikkei. The huge fire in Hong Kong Thursday night into Friday which received so much attention was the 48 story luxury Kimpton Hong Kong hotel that is under construction in Tsim Sha Tsui .

Hotels in Thailand still want the government to accelerate the launch of the new phase of the domestic stimulus scheme even with an influx of Chinese tourists expected to show up. Hyatt Hotels announced the opening of Andaz Pattaya Jomtien Beach , the debut of the Andaz brand in Thailand . IHG Hotels & Resorts has opened its first Crowne Plaza hotel in Bangladesh in partnership with Doreen Hotels & Resorts

Beijing’s International Airport and Daxing Airport have dropped the requirement for a negative Covid-19 test result to enter their terminals. Hotels on the Indonesian holiday island of Bali are booked solid for the Christmas and New Year period . The Kyushu Tourism Organization in Japan sent us a press release on their expected new resorts and hotels opening in 2023.

Pan Pacific Hotels Group announced it will double its serviced suites portfolio in 2023. Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group announced it will manage a new resort with branded residences in Phu Yen province, one of Vietnam’s coastal regions. InterContinental Khao Yai Resort in Thailand has unveiled 19 Suites and Villas, housed within repurposed heritage railcars marking the final phase of its opening journey.

The supposed reopening trade for China stocks hit a speed bump as the realization set in with investors that Covid cases are not going down, in fact they continue to go up. ONYX Hospitality Group said they reinforced their expansion plan with a strategic focus on its home territory of Thailand and neighboring destination, Malaysia . According to the recent Q3 2022 close of the Construction Pipeline Trend Report , Asia Pacific’s total construction pipeline, excluding China, stands at 1,881 projects.

STR reported China hotel RevPAR for the week ended 11/5 was up 4.4% year over year. China’s Covid cases continue to surge with 8,824 new domestic cases reported on Wednesday. The state-run Xinhua news agency said authorities need to take a more targeted approach to tackling Covid outbreaks. Ratings agency Icra said they expect premium hotel inventory in India to increase 3.5% to 4% in the current fiscal year with an addition of around 15,500 rooms amid a recovery in demand.

Bloomberg reported that hotel rooms in Singapore are now the most expensive in almost a decade. Radisson Hotel Group said they are aiming to accelerate growth across Thailand. The Tongsai Bay, the first five-star luxury hotel to be built on Koh Samui, has embarked on an innovative refurbishment and development program to celebrate its 35th anniversary as a luxury eco-haven.

STR reported China hotel RevPAR for the week ended 8/20 was up 89.7% year over year, up against an easy -43.4%. Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism said that while tourism is recovering, almost 50% of businesses in Cambodia’s main tourism hub of Siem Reap are still closed . In India, mid-sized hotel brands have embarked on aggressive plans and are signing up hotels at a record pace, encouraged by a major turnaround in performance across the country.

The Singapore government said indoor masks will no longer be mandatory from August 29 on and that masks will only be worn in medical facilities and on public transport. The bigger…