Singapore

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.

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.

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.

Tomorrow is the first day that foreign citizens from 41 countries will be allowed to enter Macau  since the start of this crisis. The travelers will still have to undergo seven days of quarantine in a designated hotel followed by another three days of self-health monitoring. Control of theme park  Huis Ten Bosch Park in Japan  is being transferred to Hong Kong-based asset management firm  PAG . IHG Hotels & Resorts  announced the opening of its  600th hotel in Greater China with the debut of Kimpton Bamboo Grove Suzhou.

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…

China reported 2,312 new Covid infections nationwide today , the first time in more than three months that cases topped 2,000 for three consecutive days. Singapore’s Changi Airport emerged as the busiest airport in Asia in the three months to June 30, 2022, recording more than double the number of passenger movements than its nearest rival. The newly built 229 keys midscale Mercure Kuala Lumpur Glenmarie managed by Accor has officially opened in Shah Alam, Selangor in Malaysia.

STR reported Sydney, Australia hotel occupancy dipped in July from June. Occupancy in July 2022 was 65.8% while ADR was A$239.96 resulting in RevPAR of A$157.80. The Business Times reported business has picked up so much in Singapore that hotels are frantically looking for employees as staffing levels have yet to match the tourism pickup. Choice Hotels Asia Pacific said corporate travel has returned to a new normal with guests seeking value for money as work trips merge into leisure.