STR reported China hotel RevPAR for the week ended March 11. Hotel RevPAR in China was up 85% year over year for the week. While a great showing, when compared with the same week in 2019, RevPAR was still down -10%.
STR said Sydney WorldPride 2023 drove the market’s hotel average daily rate and RevPAR above pre-pandemic levels while occupancy remained slightly below 2019. During the 17-day event, Sydney’s highest occupancy levels were recorded on March 4 at 95.8% and February 25, at 95.4%. Throughout the period, daily occupancy remained above 80% with only three days falling below that mark. When compared to the matching 17-day period in 2019, Sydney hotel occupancy was -2.3% lower while ADR was up +25.7% resulting in a RevPAR surge of +22.1%. In dollar terms, accommodation operators saw a room revenue lift of A$43 million from 2019. Room rates hit their highest point on the day of the Mardi Gras Parade on February 25 at A$414.
The director of the Macao Government Tourism Office told a tourism forum that Macau welcomed an average of around 57,000 visitor arrivals each day in February. International arrivals, those from outside China and its territories, still account for only a small amount with 2.2% of January’s visitors coming from foreign countries. The MGTO said they adjusted their target for this year’s tourist arrivals to an average of 50,000 visitors per day. We wouldn’t fret too much about that as the MGTO has not hit its target ever. Average daily arrivals in early March has been averaging about 50,000. By having that target, it doesn’t sound like the Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes is very confident that their move to increase foreign visitation will result in their goal of the share of international visitors rising to 10%.
SJM Resorts said the company is planning to soft launch its Palazzo Versace luxury hotel on the Cotai Strip in Macau in April of this year. A grand opening of the venue is expected to take place later on.
Club Med Borneo Kota Kinabalu in Sabah will open by the end of next year. The 17ha eco-friendly beachfront resort in Kuala Penyu will have 400 rooms, including 40 suites and is about 90 minutes by road from the Kota Kinabalu International Airport. This is Club Med’s second resort in Malaysia, expected to open by the end of 2024. The resort in Sabah will be in collaboration with owners Golden Sands Beach Resort City, and will be a four-trident resort, with a five-trident exclusive collection. Tridents is the “star” rating at Club Med.
The Borneo Post said a new building, apparently under an international hotel chain, is taking shape near the Kuching Waterfront. The international chain is said to be Marriott’s Sheraton, as the name was fully installed on the building. The hotel is expected to open in June or July this year. Sheraton Hotel Kutching is the name that was found on the architect of the property’s website, Aki Media. The 20-story building will have over 300 rooms, making it among the tallest hotels in the state. The hotel will also have an infinity pool on its rooftop.
InterGlobe Hotels announced the launch of their new hotel – ibis Thane. The hotel is located on Pokhran Road in the Thane district of Maharashtra and is a 50-minute drive from Terminal 2 of Mumbai International Airport. The hotel is centrally located, near key business districts such as Hiaranandani, Ghodbunder Road, and Wagle Estate. The twenty-second ibis hotel in India has 186 well-designed rooms across 8 floors. The ibis Thane also features the signature multi-cuisine restaurant – Spice It, offering India’s longest-running breakfast, from 4 AM until noon. Guests can also use the web corner, gym, business center and laundry services. The hotel also features state of the art meeting spaces, a library and open-air alfresco dining space. The ibis Thane will be the first ibis hotel in India to feature specialty curated art. This launch has InterGlobe Hotels introducing an initiative to promote and support emerging artists in the country.
Personnel Moves
Accor has introduced its new commercial organization and executive committee. Kerry Healy is taking the lead as Chief Commercial Officer for Premium, Midscale & Economy brands in Middle East, Africa, Turkey & Asia Pacific. She has been with Accor since 2011, previously as Chief Commercial Officer for South East Asia, Japan & South Korea. Victoria Sertic has been named SVP, Brand, Marketing & Loyalty. She was most recently VP of Brand Management, Marketing & Communications for Southeast Asia, Japan & South Korea. Kent Warren was named SVP, Topline Performance & Business Intelligence. He has been with Accor since 2014 in various roles, most recently as VP Revenue and Business Intelligence for the Pacific region. Antony Meguerdijian was named SVP, Sales, upgrading for his title as VP of Sales South East Asia, Japan & Korea, the position he held since joining Accor in 2020. Amro Khoudeir was named SVP, Digital & Distribution. In his most recent role he managed all commercial related projects for the India, Middle East & Africa region. Finally, Sarah Fernandez was named VP, PR & Communications. She joined Accor in 2019 as Director of PR & Communications for India, Middle East & Africa. Accor currently operates 993 hotels with 199,095 keys across the Middle East, Africa, Turkey and Asia Pacific region with a pipeline of 299 hotels with 64,000 keys.
Middle East Highlights
Bonotel Exclusive Travel, an aggregator and wholesale distributor of branded and boutique luxury hotel rooms, announced plans to expand its hotel offerings. The company has begun selling luxury hotels out of the Middle East. More than 80 hotels and resorts will be offered to global clients in the first portion of the launch, including iconic five-star luxury properties such as Atlantis, the Palm, Raffles Hotels, Waldorf Astoria and more. Bonotel is part of Travel Leaders Group, a division of Internova Travel Group.
Jabal Omar Developments Co announced the completion of Jabal Omar Jumeirah Makkah and Jabal Omar Address Makkah hotels as part of the second and third phases of Jabal Omar project. They comprise 2,517 hotel rooms and a luxurious suite, with a capacity to host more than 2 million pilgrims and Umrah performers annually. The developer said the phases include six new towers in the first expansion of the international hotel chain in Saudi Arabia.
Nikki Beach Resort and Spa is set to open in Muscat this coming autumn. The new spot will be situated on Yiti Bay, around a 30-minute drive from Muscat Airport and will be the first luxury beach resort in the coastal town. The development will include a hotel, collection of residences and their renowned beach club. The hotel will feature 140 rooms and suites plus 30 villas, each with their own private pools. There will be three signature restaurants, wet bar at the pool, the beach club and a spa. The resort is being developed by Oman Tourist Development Group.
