STR said hotel RevPAR in China was up 58% year over year for the week ended February 25. It was up against a +29.5% comp in 2022. When compared with the same week in 2019, China hotel RevPAR was down -0.6%.
The number of foreign tourists arriving in Vietnam in February reached 933,000, up 7.1% versus January. The General Statistics Office said the year-over-year comparison was February 2023 was up 31.6%. In the first two months of 2023 there have been 1.8 million foreign visitors arriving in Vietnam, up 36.6% over the first two months of 2022. That number is barely 60% of what the first two months of 2019 were. Most of the visitors the first two months were from Asia at 1.29 million. European visitors totaled 242,500 and the Americas totaled 186,300. Vietnam is aiming for a total of 8 million foreign tourists this year. They received 19 million in 2019. The projection may be revised higher as it was made before China decided to drop Zero-Covid and reopen its borders. So far China has not included Vietnam in the list of 20 countries where travel companies can organize outbound tours with flights and hotels service.
Hilton announced it will bring its Doubletree brand to The Orange City for the first time with DoubleTree by Hilton Nagpur. Hilton signed with Abhijit Realtors and Infrastructure Private Limited. This marks the entry of the DoubleTree brand in Maharashtra, India’s third-largest city and first Hilton property in Nagpur. The hotel is scheduled to open in early 2026. The new 135-room hotel will feature the brand’s modern architecture and designs, large wedding and social event spaces and a wide array of food and beverage, and special event offerings. The hotel will be situated at the junction of Airport and Wardha Roads. Hilton’s presence in India currently features 24 operating hotels with 17 additional hotels in the pipeline.
Minor Hotels announced its Avani brand will make its Maldives debut with the opening of Avani+ Fares Maldives Resort on April 1. The 176-key resort is set on the natural tropical island of Fares at the western edge of the heart-shaped atoll and will be Minor’s sixth property in the country. The new-build resort is located within 35 minutes of Velana International Airport and will have multiple accommodation options from beach pool villas and four-bedroom beach pavilions to expansive three-bedroom over-water villas. Avani+ Fares will offer seven restaurants, in addition to private beach and in-villa dining. This will be the first new hotel opening in the area for more than three years.
Accor announced that one of Phuket’s largest and most popular beachfront resorts will soon be rebranded as Pullman Phuket Arcadia Karon Beach Resort. We believe this is the former Hilton Phuket Arcadia. Scheduled to open in April 2023, Pullman Phuket Arcadia Karon Beach Resort is nestled in 75 acres of lush gardens on the soft, sandy shores of the Andaman Sea. A phased renovation project will take place over the next 24 months to modernize the resort in line with Pullman’s brand markers that are centered around immersive art and design, technology-enabled spaces and wellbeing. The resort comprises 662 rooms and suites, ranging from 44 to 170 square meters, all featuring private balconies with garden or sea views. The resort will focus on activities for families and MICE guests. The property will have eight diverse restaurants and bars, including a beach club. There are three swimming pools, a spa, tennis courts, a fitness center, kid’s club and some of Phuket’s best meeting facilities. Accor is the largest hotel operator in Thailand with a network of 87 hotels and resorts across key destinations. This property will become the third Pullman hotel in Phuket.
TFE Hotels officially opened its doors at its newest South Australian address, the Vibe Hotel Adelaide. The 123-room, design-led Vibe Hotel launch signals the completion of the Flinders East precinct, more than 20 years in the making by South Australian developers, GuavaLime and Loucas Zahos Architects. Vibe Adelaide is the homegrown hotel brand’s fourth opening in four years and with this launch, they have a hotel address in each state and territory in Australia with plans to further extend the brand. Room types include Premier Suites, Urban Retreat Rooms, Deluxe Rooms and lead in Guest Rooms. The level one pool deck features a pool, spa and sauna while the ground level includes the Storehouse Flinders East restaurant and bar.
Mandarin Oriental Exclusive Homes announced they launched their first property in Bali, Uluwatu Estate. The eight-bedroom estate is the first property in Asia to join the collection of private vacation homes, chalets and mansions. Mandarin Oriental is operating this in collaboration with luxury home rental platform StayOne.
STR’s global “bubble chart”, updated through February 17, 2023, showed strong performance to kickstart the year. Among all countries with room supply of more than 50,000 rooms, Israel, Singapore, France and the United Arab Emirates led in RevPAR on an actual basis. On the other hand, Tunisia, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, and Indonesia were among the bottom five performers in RevPAR. Overall, 29 of the 48 countries with hotel supply greater than 50,000 rooms recorded growth in RevPAR versus the matching 28-day period in 2019. Saudi Arabia grew RevPAR by a staggering 67% and China was among the countries with gains in RevPAR for the first time since 2022, as the country celebrated its first restriction free Chinese New Year in the last three years. Nearly two-thirds of markets posted RevPAR higher than 2019 to begin 2023. Nigeria is the first African market to be highlighted in this monthly analysis, which took a spot in the top five RevPAR growth markets. Hainan, in China, was also among the top five performers for the first time since July 2022. Overall, global markets were able to carry the recovery momentum as only 8% of markets saw their occupancy level remain under 75% of 2019 comparables. More improvements are to be expected as the Asia Pacific region returns to normalcy.
The Pacific Asia Travel Association announced the resignation of Liz Ortiguera as its CEO. She was appointed to the position on April 22, 2021.
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and Red Sea Global (Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia) announced plans to introduce a Four Seasons Resort as part of the Red Sea masterplan development. The new Four Seasons will be located on Shura Island, the hub of the development, home to a yacht marina, leisure and lifestyle facilities, retail offerings, 18 hole golf course and more. The Four Seasons Resort will offer approximately 149 rooms and suites, all with views over white sand beaches and crystal clear waters. It will feature six restaurant and lounge outlets, meeting and event spaces, a marine discovery center, Kids for All Seasons space and more. There will also be a full service spa with a hammam, tennis courts, three outdoor pools with cabanas and two separate beaches.
