STR reported China hotel RevPAR results for the week ended September 10. RevPAR was down -12.3% year over year while down -29.3% when compared with a comparable week in 2019. Absolute occupancy was 48.2% in China for the week. That compares with 56.2% in the year ago week.
Hong Kong hotels have been told to set aside just eight or 3% of their rooms, whichever is lower, to house travelers who test positive for Covid, raising the risk of insufficient space for infected people if the easing of travel curbs come into effect. Hong Kong reported 7,579 new Covid cases on Wednesday. Is this the most ridiculous thing you have ever heard? Starting from November 1, incoming travelers who test positive can choose to isolate for at least a week in the hotel they have booked rather than be transferred to the city’s spartan and uncomfortable facilities. Bloomberg said between 100 and 300 new arrivals in Hong Kong test positive for Covid every day. This is despite testing negative before boarding the flight. Meanwhile, since the shortening of the mandatory hotel quarantine stay from seven to three days in August, occupancy has plunged more than 50%.
The JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort & Spa is embarking on a new era of luxury hospitality in southern Thailand as it prepares to unveil the newly-transformed five-star beachfront retreat that has been enhanced and reimagined with new activities, experiences, restaurants, bars, and accommodation. The resort on a pristine beach in Khao Lak, an hour’s drive north of Phuket International Airport, will reveal its resort extension which introduces 127 additional keys: 76 Deluxe Lagoon Pool View Rooms, 28 Deluxe Lagoon Pool Access Rooms, 20 Family Pool Access Studios, two One Bedroom Villas, and the Two Bedroom Villa. Following the expansion, a total of 420 rooms, suites and villas, including 178 with director access to a private pool or the resorts’ 2.4 km long lagoon pool waterway, will provide options for every type of traveler. The Two Bedroom Villa will be 140 square meters. The new accommodations is complemented by fresh facilities including an aquatic playground with the longest outdoor swimming pool in South East Asia. The resort has 11 dining and social venues, a fully equipped fitness center, racket sports, water sports, cultural classes and the serene Quan Spa. It also will unveil the brand new JW Grand Ballroom, making the resort the first large scale conference venue in the area. The JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort & Spa will soon be complemented by a sister property, JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort Suites, an exclusive collection of 52 two-bedroom suites.
Asset World Public Company Limited said they are strengthening their long term partnership with Marriott International with an agreement to launch a new Ritz-Carlton hotel in Bangkok’s heritage riverside district. The Ritz-Carlton Bangkok, The Riverside will be spread across three locations between the two banks of the Chao Phraya River, transforming the area into a world class sanctuary and wellness destination under the River Journey concept and The Ritz-Carlton brand’s refined elegance and legendary services. The Ritz-Carlton Bangkok, The Riverside will feature 166 rooms with 86 rooms at The Lhong 1919 Riverside Heritage Destination, 24 rooms at ‘The Shophouse-SongWad’ and 56 rooms at ‘The Mansion-SongWad’ located across the Chao Phraya River from The Lhong 1919. All three sites will connect for guests by shuttle boat. Rooms at The Shophouse and The Mansion are expected to open in the first quarter of 2026 and The Lhong 1919 Riverside Heritage Destination in the first quarter of 2027. The Ritz Carlton is expected to be AWC’s twentieth hotel and operating asset in Thailand managed by Marriott International. This signing follows AWC’s announcement last year to develop “The Integrated Wellness Destination” under the River Journey concept after AWC signed a lease to rent The Lhong 1919 Riverside Heritage Destination from Wang Lee Company Limited for 64 years.
Absolute Hotel Services group will expand its global portfolio with the twenty-sixth addition to the U Hotels & Resorts brand, U Hua Hin. The project is currently under construction and has a planned opening date in 2023. U Hua Hin will be located in Cha-am, a 2.5-hour drive from Bangkok. The beachfront resort will feature 62 rooms and villas with sizes ranging from 30-53 square meters and a full range of facilities including a swimming pool, fitness center, all day dining restaurant and a poolside bar.
Hilton announced the opening of DoubleTree by Hilton Damai Laut Resort, a 294-room beachfront resort that overlooks the Straits of Malacca. This is the latest addition to Hilton’s portfolio in Malaysia and follows the opening of DoubleTree by Hilton Sha Alam i-City in July. Malaysia already has six DoubleTree hotels in operation. The new DoubleTree Dami Laut Resort is located in the west coast of Malaysia’s Perak State, about an hour forty-five minute drive from Sultan Azlan Shah Airport. The resort has 294 digital key-enabled guest rooms fitted with private balconies, restaurants, a spa and fitness center and over 1,400 square meters of meeting space.
Capital Alliance, in partnership with Australia’s TFE Hotels, has announced a first-of-its-kind mixed-use development in Melbourne Docklands, featuring two world class local hotel brands. Capital Alliance’s two-tower project will be a $340 million project, featuring the largest rooftop infinity pool in Australia and the first purpose-built Collection by TFE Hotels and A by Adina properties in Melbourne. There will be a 1000-pax capacity event conference center located on a sky bridge that connects the two accommodation towers. The 200 key, yet-to-be-named Collection hotel will join the other Collection by TFE Hotels properties. The 105 key premium A by Adina hotel will be the first of its brand to launch in Victoria. The project is the fourth mixed-use hotel development for Capital Alliance. The property is expected to open in 2026.
A heritage listed 136-year-old hotel in Western Australia’s Wheatbelt has hit the market for $1.8 million following a substantial refurbishment. The Imperial Homestead Hotel is one of just two hotels in the historic tourist town of York. Goodwin Mitchell O’Hehir & Associates is listing the property which includes a restaurant, bar, coffee business, accommodation and a function space. The hotel has a total area of 748 square meters excluding the verandas and four queen-sized accommodation rooms.
Mitsui Fudosan Co. Ltd. announced the grand opening of Tokyo Midtown Yaesu will be March 10, 2023. Construction on the facility was completed on August 31, 2022 in anticipation of a preliminary opening on September 17, 2022.
Accor, in partnership with Shanghai Xinguang Technology Development Group, announced the development of Sofitel Shanghai South, a 293-key luxury urban resort, set to open in 2025. Zhuanghang Town is a new destination that is developing spaces and infrastructures to attract new generations of investors, tourists and residents while preserving its unique history, heritage and culture. The prime location of Sofitel Shanghai South will rest along the banks of the Huangpu River, located about 40km from Shanghai downtown and 30k from Shanghai Hongqiao Airport. The low-rise hotel will be surrounded with the wild luxury of Zhuanghang’s conservation forest. A rooftop urban farm concept will integrate with the natural woodlands with the hotel’s own produce garden while featuring a rooftop bar, restaurant, and event space. The 293 guest rooms will offer private balconies. There will be two ballrooms of 1,500 square meters and 700 square meters, signature restaurants and bars, lobby lounge, executive lounge, fitness center, spa and pool.
