STR reported China hotel RevPAR for the week ended April 29 was up 138.2% year over year. It was up against an easy -48.4 comp. When compared with the same week in 2019, hotel RevPAR was up 1.1%.
The Association of Macao Tourist Agents said the first Labor Day holiday after lifting all Covid curbs had exceeded expectations. Macau welcomed about 491,000 tourists during the five-day Labor Day holiday with Macau’s hotel occupancy reaching 2019 levels with about 85% of the rooms occupied. Average room rates were up 3% compared with the Labor Day holiday period in 2019.
The General Statistics Office of Vietnam said the number of Chinese citizens traveling to Vietnam is on the rise with 112,000 visiting in April, up 61.5% year on year. In April 2019, 427,000 Chinese visited the country so they have a long way to go. The April results take the total for the first four months of 2023 to 252,100 with China representing the highest growth rate among Vietnam’s tourism source markets. That compares with 1.7 million Chinese arrivals in the first four months of 2019.
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts announced four new key signings and two new openings in the Australasian market. The signings includes the 117-key Ramada by Wyndham Kings Head in Adelaide, being built on the site of the former Kings Head hotel with an opening expected by the end of 2024. The 35-key Ramada Seafronts Apartments, Coral Coast, Fiji is in Sigatoka, along the coast of Fiji between key cities of Suva and Nadi. The property is slated to open at the end of 2023. The Wyndham Garden Wailoaloa Beach, Fiji is a 90-key property located along the beachfront just a 10 minute drive from Fiji’s main city of Nadi. The property is expected to open by the end of 2023. The 60-key Wyndham Garden Suites Lake Tekapo, New Zealand is located on the South Island of NZ. It is slated to open in mid-2024. Wyndham’s new openings in the second half of 2023 will include La Quinta by Wyndham Ellerslie in Auckland. This will be the second La Quinta property to open in New Zealand, on track to open by the fourth quarter of this year. Early next year La Quinta by Wyndham Parnell, Auckland will open, with both hotels developed by Safari Group and to be managed by Safari Hotels. The Wyndham Wallaroo Shores Resort, located on the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia is slated to open by the end of 2023, a 2 hours’ drive from Adelaide. Wyndham said they expect to have more than 50 operating hotels in Australasiaby the end of 2023.
City Developments Limited, through its Millennium & Copthorne Hotels Limitedunit and in a 50:50 Joint Venture with its NZ subsidiary Millennium & Copthorne Hotels New Zealand Limited, entered into a purchase and sale agreement and business asset sale agreement to acquire the Sofitel Brisbane Central hotel in Australia from Brookfield Asset Management for a purchase price of A$177.7 million. The 5 star hotel with 416 rooms will be the Group’s third hotel in Australia.
Accor announced its continued expansion across Australia with the signing of two new Sydney hotels with Sachin Sabharwal. The partnership sees the opening of BreakFree on Broadway Sydney and Mantra Castle Hill Sydney. BreakFree on Broadway will feature 47 refurbished guestrooms, onsite café, ready area and a boardroom for up to 10 delegates. Mantra Castle Hill has 82 guestrooms, a gym, barbeque deck, located a three minutes’ drive from Norwest Business Park. Accor has 19 international brands across Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and French Polynesia.
Marriott International said they are exploring opportunities to set up branded residences in prime urban and resort locations in India. Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai are considered exciting growth opportunities while leisure destinations located a short drive from metropolitan areas such as Goa present an opportunity for second homes that offer turnkey convenience, according to Marriott. This segment is back after a hiatus of almost 15 years because of better regulation of India’s real estate market and growth in wealth. Marriott plans to expand to at least 10 new cities in India in the next two years with over 100 new properties. They plan to operate 250 hotels in India by 2025. They currently have 140 hotels there.
La Vie Hotels & Resorts officially announced the launch of its new lifestyle brand, NOOE, alongside its first NOOE resort, a new build island resort in the Maldives. NOOE will have lobbies that are abuzz, local favorite restaurants, pools that perform as day clubs and gyms. Guests are invited to lounge in studios, suites, bungalows and villas, not rooms. NOOE Maldives Kunaavashi offers 72 Guest Bungalows and Villas, 39 of which are overwater location. The overwater villas offer two stories, private plunge pools, large deck area and more. The property is located an hour from Male city and features six food and beverage outlets, watersports center, Tha.ari by Mandara Spa, Boutique shop and more.
Ricky Lap-Gay Poon and Shirley Chiu have entered into a contract to buy the Seasons of Perth Hotel from Renaissance Australia for $22.5 million. The purchasers are buying the Perth hotel asset as trustees of the Tackelly No.8 Pty Ltd trust. Renaissance Australia bought the 120 room hotel from Wincode Holdings Pty Ltd. for $20 million in December 1996.
JEN Johor Puteri Harbour, part of Shangri-La Group’s hotel chain, will cease operations on May 9 due to legal proceedings. The four star hotel owner TAR PH Sdn Bhd said the business was unable to operate but would not give details on the legal proceedings that caused the Malaysian hotel’s closure. The property was originally Traders Hotel Puteri Harbour but was refurbished and rebranded in 2013.
