Excess Rooms Push Hotel Owners to Cut Rates in China | wsj.com
Revenue per available room slips amid an overexpansion by hotel chains. A glut of hotel rooms in Chinese cities is forcing owners to reduce rates in a bid to attract customers.
External Articles
Centara to open a new resort in Krabi
BANGKOK, Thailand - Centara Hotels & Resorts is excited to announce that their third property in Krabi will be opening in Q4 2016, Centra by Centara Phu Pano Resort Krabi. Krabi is one of the most beautiful destinations in Thailand. With close proximity to some of Thailand’s most recognizable landmarks, such as Phi Phi Island and James Bond Island, Krabi has it all from adventure to beachfront relaxation.
Inside the world's best hotel: Nihiwatu resort on Sumba Island, Indonesia | traveller.com
The world's best hotel isn't in London or New York but on a little known island in Indonesia, known as the lost world island. Remote and completely off the grid, Nihiwatu was formerly a surf lodge until it was bought by self-made fashion billionaire Chris Burch in partnership with hotelier James McBride four years ago and transformed into a culturally immersive enclave of active adventure and serious indulgence.
Chinese tourism investment boom in Australia reaches ‘cruising altitude’ | ehotelier.com
The latest tourism figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics paint a remarkably positive picture of Chinese tourism to Australia. Not only did the Chinese inbound figures pass the ‘magic million’ mark in the past year – an increase of over 19 per cent on the year to April 2016 – but Chinese tourists now account for 23 per cent of total expenditure (over $7 billion) by overseas visitors. In 2009, Chinese tourism to Australia numbered less than 350,000, and tourists could only fly from five Chinese cities. Today, they can fly direct from ten cities, and the prospects for further expansion in the future were highlighted by the announcement last month by China’s biggest private airline operator, HNA Aviation Group, to take a 13 per cent (AUD$159 million) stake in Virgin Australia.
MACq 01 is set to open doors in mid-2017 in Hobart | ehotelier.com
The latest development from Federal Group – Tourism (Saffire Freycinet, The Henry Jones Art Hotel) is set to open doors in mid-2017 in the heart of the historic Hobart waterfront, MACq 01 will be a luxury hotel combining premium accommodation with an element of unforgettable storytelling. Capturing the essence behind the stories of Tasmania is what the interiors of MACq 01 Hotel are all about. From the 114 Rooms to the reception, restaurant and cocktail bars, there is an underlying emphasis on warmth and a genuine quality. The design is an eclectic mix of elements from the luxurious to the rustic to the unexpected, that play off one another and come together to really capture a feeling.
Chinese park turns abandoned buses into Hello Kitty, Mickey Mouse hotels | cnn.com
Abandoned vehicles may not shout holiday charm, but a resort in northern China is attracting customers with its unique, cartoon-filled bus hotels. Owners of the Tai Tai Mountain Park in the city of Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, have converted more than 30 old buses into mini-hotels featuring private kitchens, bathrooms and colorful interior and exterior designs. Each bus hotel has its own theme, mainly popular cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse, Hello Kitty and Doraemon.
Why the hospitality sector is ripe for Make in India | dailyo.in
When the world reads about Make in India, what does it imagine? Maybe motorbikes whizzing off the production line or hi-tech fighter jets defending our nation. Perhaps pharmaceuticals or IT or maybe the extraordinary Indian textile industry? How about restaurants or the hospitality sector? Hmm... Maybe not. But why not? Perhaps it’s some kind of involuntary association between the word "Make" and images of machinery or factories. As investors and managers in the Indian hospitality industry, we would argue strongly that our sector is a natural candidate for the world’s best companies and brands to Make in India.
Thailand: Hospitality industry faces new threats | nationmultimedia.com
A SHORTAGE of skilled labour and poor crisis management have become new threats for the hospitality sector, including in Thailand, tourism experts said last week. Global demographic change also presents a new challenge as tourism operators are forced to differentiate their strategies to reach old and young travellers. Meanwhile, the boom in online travel agencies is forcing some operators out of business. Kaye Chon, professor in international hospitality management at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, said Thailand and many other countries faced some or all these new trends.
Shortage of Hotel Rooms in India | travelandtourworld.com
As per the Report of the “Working Group on Tourism” for the 12th Five year Plan(2012-17) set up by the Planning Commission, for a projected annual growth of 12% in Foreign Tourist Arrivals, the requirement of additional hotel rooms under classified category in 2016 over 2010 is estimated to be 1,90,108. Construction of hotel is primarily a private sector activity. The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India only classifies operational hotels under its voluntary scheme of classification/approval of hotels.
Hospitality company Airbnb triples growth in India | indiatimes.com
Airbnb, a community-driven hospitality company, has announced that travel on the platform nearly tripled in India in the last year. "Countries all over the world continue to embrace home sharing, and we are excited that India is at the forefront of this movement," said Nathan Blecharczyk, Airbnb co-founder and CTO. "For countless families, home sharing is an economic lifeline. It helps people around the world turn one of their greatest assets into a tool to make ends meet. In a country like India where technology is unlocking new and exciting opportunities, I am thrilled the government is keen to make it easier for locals to be part of the sharing economy."
New halal hotel charts course for expansion. | 4hoteliers.com
TS Family Group revealed that it sees potential in the halal hotel market and is investing THB1 billion to promote its Al Meroz Hotel, the country’s first four-star halal property. The newly opened property is located in Bangkok’s Ramkhamhaeng area and could be the first of many halal- friendly accommodations in the country. The company is hoping that wealthy Muslim tourists are encouraged to choose the new property instead of other hotels that are not completely halal. Al Meroz Hotel has 242 rooms and was opened in November of 2015. At the moment, average occupancy rates are 65 percent with a mixture of guests coming from Europe and Asia
Regulator Close to Rejecting Insurer's Plans for Foreign Hotel Investments | caixin.com
China's insurance regulator is set to reject two plans by Anbang Insurance Group, including one that could have seen it take over America's Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc., owner of the Sheraton and Westin brands. A person close to the China Insurance Regulatory Commission said the regulator had "clearly a disapproving attitude" toward both plans because completing the deals would break rules banning insurers from investing more than 15 percent of their assets abroad.
Singapore still world’s most expensive city; Bleak outlook for hospitality sector | sbr.com
Though Singapore may have retained its title as the world's most expensive city for the third consecutive year, other cities like Zurich, Hong, Kong, London and New York are quickly closing the gap. That's according to the latest ranking by The Economist Intelligence Unit's 2016 Worldwide Cost of Living index.
Hard Rock Expands in China to Tap Growing Leisure Industry | bloomberg.com
Hard Rock International is expanding in China with new hotels and restaurants to tap the fast-growing leisure and entertainment demand in the world’s second-largest economy. The Florida-based chain is opening three hotels in China’s coastal cities, including a 200-room oceanfront resort in northeastern Dalian city due to be completed in 2018. The others are in Shenzhen and Haikou in the south. Three restaurants will also be opened in some of China’s richest cities this year, the closely held company said in a statement Tuesday.
AccorHotels continues expansion in Southern Thailand | ehotelier.com
AccorHotels and Avista Resort and Spa Patong Company Limited have signed an agreement for AccorHotels to manage three properties in Phuket. Two resorts will be rebranded as Novotel Phuket Kata Avista Resort and Spa and Avista Hidewaway Phuket Patong, MGallery on April 1, while another newly-built Avista Grande Phuket Karon, MGallery will open in 2018.
Is this the world's most luxurious hotel? | dailymail.com
Located in the gambling mecca of Macau, in southern China, The 13 is one of the most expensive hotels ever built. The 'all-villa' hotel has 200 suites measuring between 2,000 and 30,000 square feet, with 24-hour butler service. Each villa features a marble Roman bath set under a vaulted Baroque ceiling supported by and a crystal chandelier
China's Jin Jiang raises AccorHotels stake to 5.5 pct | reuters.com
Jin Jiang International has raised its stake in French hotel group AccorHotels to 5.50 percent, becoming its second-largest shareholder, according to a regulatory filing. The Rubyrock Capital Company Limited, an entity controlled by Jin Jiang, made the stock purchase on the market on Jan. 25, the AMF stockmarket watchdog said in the Jan. 29 filing. AccorHotels, Europe's largest hotel group, could not be immediately reached for comment. A growing number of French and Chinese groups have joined forces in recent years to seek opportunities in tourism, with Chinese investor Fosun buying a stake in French holiday group Club Med last year.
Q4: 2015 hospitality, leisure & travel survey analysis. | 4hoteliers.com
Recently, the Hospitality, Leisure &Travel team at PSD Shanghai conducted a survey in order to better understand the trends shaping the industry in a continually developing China and with over 100 responses from senior hospitality professionals across regions, departments, and brands, we were able to attain a clear picture of the current and future hotel Industry landscape.
Tourism boom to drive record Australian hotel investment in 2016 | afr.com
Australian hotel investment sales are predicted to surge to more than $4 billion in 2016 as the tourism boom brings in new investor groups from the US, UK and Europe to compete with Asian investors for trophy assets and big portfolios. CBRE Hotels director Wayne Bunz said he expected another "record year of hotel investment" in 2016 with appetite spreading beyond the top performing Sydney and Melbourne CBD markets to leisure hotel markets such as Cairns and the Gold Coast
How Chinese Hotel Development Is Shaping Up For 2016 | HotelManagement.com
Earlier this month, Fitch Ratings said it expected Chinese hotel development to grow in the coming months thanks to demand that is still well outpacing supply growth, improved infrastructure and the low value of the renminbi. Consider Hong Kong-based private real estate investment firm Gaw Capital Partners, which is planning to focus a new Asia real estate fund on a range of properties in greater China—including hotels.