ACCOMMODATION - Asian hotel sales hit record US$10.8 billion

Traveldailyasia.com, 1/22/2008

Hotel transaction activity in Asia reached US$10.8 billion last year, more than double the previous high of US$5 billion recorded in 2006.
During 2007, the Asian hotel market witnessed 83 major (valued above US$5 million) transactions. Japan recorded the highest transaction activity totalling US$6.8 billion; including four out of the five largest transactions including the IHG / ANA portfolio sold by Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels.
"Asia's hotel markets continue to perform well, driven by strong local economies and expanding leisure markets," said Scott Hetherington, Managing Director Asia, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels.
On average, investors paid approximately US$225,000 per room for hotels across Asia.

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THAILAND - Resort's 'white beach' inflames residents' ire

Bangkokpost, January 23, 2008

Villagers in Phangnga's Takua Thung district have demanded immediate legal action against a resort developer who cut down a lush mangrove forest in the area to create an artificial beach.
Three rai of the mangrove forest, which local people have looked after for 20 years, had already been cleared, he said.
''A few days ago, workers started dumping huge amounts of sand onto the land despite it being a protected forest area,'' said Mr Sommai.
According to villagers, the developer of the White Sand Villa project bought a seven-rai block of land adjacent to the protected mangrove forest two years ago and planned the construction of a luxury resort and pier.
''We are not against business development in our community, but it must not destroy our traditional way of life and our precious natural resources,'' he said.
Local people's loyalties had been divided by cash poured into the community by the resort developer.

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VIETNAM - Resort projects proliferate in central Vietnam

thanhniennews.com, January 16, 2008

Gia Minh Conic Company broke ground last Saturday on its Conic-Lang Co resort project with an investment of VND400 billion (US$25 million).
Two other high-end resorts also began construction last December and should be in operation by 2010.
Singapore-based Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts has just received the investment certificate from Thua Thien-Hue Province’s People’s Committee for a $1 billion project, the largest ever eco-tourism resort in the province.
The project is designed to contain seven high-end hotels with a total of 2,000 rooms, an 18-hole golf course, and areas for meeting and shopping.

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REGIONAL DEVELOPMENTS - Thailand-based developer's foray into Langkawi signals a new trend

Bangkokpost.com, January 21, 2008

As he sees it, Langkawi's emergence is not a threat to Phuket and actually complements the Thai resort island. The trend, he believes, is to view the whole Thai-Malaysian-Singaporean peninsular area as the ''Caribbean of the East''.
''Stretching from the Andaman Sea is Phangnga, Phuket, Krabi, the coastal area of Trang, then there is Langkawi, the coastal area of Penang all the way down to Singapore, then the northern islands of Indonesia,'' notes Mr Lai. ''From there it goes back up the Gulf of Thailand to Pattaya and from there a little bit east to Rayong and then Sihanoukville in Cambodia. This area is now being identified as the Caribbean of the East and I think this trend will become more and more obvious and significant.

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CHINA - booming budget hotels profit from no frills

eTN, Jan 16, 2008

The number of budget hotel rooms has mushroomed in the past eight years from practically zero to over 100,000 with more than 100 brands competing for a bite of China's rapidly expanding domestic tourism market. More than a 100 brands have emerged.
The fast-developing Chinese budget hotel industry resembles the U.S. motel boom of the 1950s, which was fuelled by tourism and expanding highways.
"China has a population four times that of the U.S, and the potential to be the world's biggest budget hotel market," said Wang Lie, chief financial officer at budget chain Hanting Hotels.
Big and small Chinese investors, plus foreign heavyweights such as Morgan Stanley, Warburg Pincus and Merrill Lynch, are piling into the industry, even though fierce competition and sinking room rates now threaten to hurt profits.

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THAILAND - New hotels to heat up competition

Nationmultimedia.com, December 27, 2007

Operators nationwide can expect only a modest rise in their room rates compared to this year.
THA president Chanin Donavanik said the number of new rooms was expected to increase by 30,000 during 2006-2008, with more than 3,000 set to hit the market next year in the capital.
It would appear that many new hotels are planned for major destinations such as Bangkok, Samui, Phuket, Pattaya, Hua Hin and Chiang Mai.
"I noticed four hotel categories increasing their presence in the market: guest houses, serviced apartments, boutique hotels and international chains," said Chanin.
He said the new hotels would bring about tougher competition in the coming year, meaning operators would be forced to increase their room rates by less than the adjustment in earlier years.

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INDIA - Kashmir plans luxury hotels for high-spending tourists

earthtimes.org, Dec 26, 2007

Jammu (TVLW) - The Jammu and Kashmir government has worked out a proposal to have five-star hotels in Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Srinagar to cater to the needs of high spending tourists.
Currently, the valley has only one hotel of five-star category, Grand Palace, at the eastern bank of Dal Lake in Srinagar. But it alone hardly meets the accommodation requirements of tourists during the peak season.
In Srinagar, according to the proposal, another five-star hotel would be constructed at the site of the Tourist Reception Centre in collaboration with a firm owning chain of luxury hotels, a tourism official said here.

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ACCOMMODATION - Trend in luxury hotels to continue upward climb: industry experts

eTN, Dec 26, 2007

There may be worries about the world economy – especially with the ongoing subprime crisis and rising standards of living – but that hasn't stopped interest in luxury hotels from making a steady comeback.
With the recent entry of a new player in Singapore's luxury hotel industry, the exclusive St Regis, competition looks set to heat up.
St Regis opened the Saturday before Christmas, but even before it officially commenced business, the hotel has already sold out almost all its year-end dinner parties.
Singapore's hospitality sector is experiencing one of its strongest recoveries in over a decade despite the US subprime setback.
In November, the average room rate (ARR) set a new milestone of S$226 per night, the highest ever in any month and up 29.8 per cent over last year, according to figures from the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).

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THAILAND - Hotels aid Pattaya evolution

TTGasia.com, Dec 14 - 20, 2007

BUOYED by its proximity to one-year-old Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand’s main gateway, Pattaya is seeing a burgeoning number of new hotels while existing properties are being upgraded. Pattaya is having a renaissance, the trade says.Amari Hotels and Resorts sales and marketing vice-president, Mr Duncan Webb, said the overall outlook for Pattaya as a destination now was light years away from what the beach resort was 10 years ago. He added it had become an established beach resort with international standards and the destination was continually evolving with new developments.The once small fishing village, which began its transformation to a beach resort in the 1960s, had a negative image for many years. But the city administration has been working hard to erase its sleazy image, in a bid to transform the beach resort into a family- and business-focused destination.

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THAILAND - Bookings hit the roof for south Thailand

TTGasia.com, Dec 14 - 20, 2007

Thailand is seeing unprecedented confirmed bookings to Phuket, Khao Lak and Krabi this high season.Tour operators told TTG Asia Phuket and Khao Lak in particular, devastated by the December 2004 tsunami, were seeing an absolute turnaround and Krabi was hot on their heels.Diethlem Travel Asia chief operating officer, Mr Richard Brouwer, said: “For us, the absolute winners are Phuket and Khao Lak; hotels are full and right now, some have even stopped selling.”In terms of clientele, Mr Brouwer said Khao Lak was a gathering place for Germans and Scandinavians while Phuket enjoyed a mix of tourists from every market worldwide.Stockholm-based TUI Nordic product area manager for Italy and South-east Asia, Ms Lin Wessblad, said her company saw about 6,000 clients booked for Phuket per month this high season from October 2007 to April 2008. Krabi and nearby Koh Lanta were also doing very well in terms of volume at about 3,000 clients a month.

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VIETNAM - Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels inks second deal in China Beach, for 2007

Jones Lang LaSalle , 14 December 2007

As exclusive advisor to Magnum Asia Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels (the “Firm”) is pleased to announce the completion of the acquisition of a 39-hectare prime beachfront site in Danang to US-based Kor Realty Group LLC (“Kor”). This deal marks the Firm’s second transaction this year on world-famous China Beach, Vietnam’s premier resort destination and one of the region’s most promising tourism markets.
Mr Craig Collins, Managing Director Investment Sales Asia, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, together with Ms Heng Sue Lin, Vice President, negotiated the transaction on behalf of Magnum Asia Limited.
Lining over 750 metres of pristine coastline, the spectacular beachfront site is slated for the development of Viceroy China Beach, a boutique luxury hotel. Each of the Viceroy properties of the Kor Hotel Group are renowned for their legendary locations, distinct style, and unique design.

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CHINA - Luxury hotel goes from five stars to no stars

chinaview.cn, 2007-12-13

A luxury hotel that lost millions of yuan to a swindling manager has become China's first five-star hotel to lose its star status after a re-evaluation by China's tourism authority.
The Shenzhen Grand View Hotel, in south China's Guangdong Province, has admitted that its facilities and services failed to meet five-star standards, but vowed to try to win back its five stars.
The China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) has begun re-evaluating the star ratings of Chinese hotels, which used to enjoy permanent star status.
The CNTA initiated re-evaluations of star hotels last year, and hundreds of hotels, with four-star status or below, were blacklisted. It said the re-evaluations of star hotels would be conducted every five years.

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BALI - Hotels Aiming to Reduce Energy Consumption by 40% Within One Year

Balidiscovery.com, (12/15/2007)

The energy conservation program, dubbed Switch off, Unplug, Enjoy – Energy Efficient Bali, was launched on board Greenpeace's fabled Rainbow Warrior docked at Bali's Benoa Harbor.The program, based on a survey conducted by Greenpeace among 15 hotels in Nusa Dua in November 2007, outlines the steps than can be taken by hotels to reduce energy consumption and preserve the world's natural environment.The program which has been strongly endorsed by Indonesia's Minister for the Environment, Rachmat Witoelar, is aimed at all hotels, guest houses, restaurants, cafes and entertainment venues in Bali. Socialization of the program will be done through a series of educational seminars conducted among tourism industry members.

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THAILAND - Investors line up for Phuket projects

Traveldailyasia.com, 12/4/2007

Foreign investors have revealed plans to spend about Bt6 billion in hotels in Phuket and other major tourist destinations in Thailand over the next three years.
The Nation reported that at least four international investment companies from Singapore and Malaysia and some Thai operators had confirmed big investment plans in Phuket last week.
According to the report, the main focus of their interest is Phuket but others such as Chiang Mai, Hua Hin, Ayutthaya and Koh Samui are also in their radar screen.
Fong Wiai Leong, a partner in Kuala Lumpur-based investment consultancy Devonshire Development Capital, was quoted saying that said the group was planning to invest in "lifestyle hotels" in Phuket, Hua Hin and Chiang Mai with a total budget of more than US$100 million.

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THAILAND - Koh Phangnan sees condos on horizon

Property Report Thailand - November 07 2007

Koh Samui’s property market has boomed in recent years with developers and ex-pats rushin for slice of the tropical pie. So rapid is the expansion that attention has already been placed on the environmental impact caused by such a flurry of construction. The desire for real island living has propmpted development opportunities further a field on neighbouring Koh Phangnan, with a number of projects already setting the standard.
Koh Phangan gained popularity with young partygoers and the alternative lifestyle fraternity, thanks mainly to its monthly full moon celebrations. However, much of the original island charm survives and this is behind what may become a boutique development boom.

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THAILAND - Koh Yao expands its horizons

Asia Property Report - November 26 2007

Koh Yao may be experiencing a growth spurt. The remote, idyllic setting has been a well-kept secret hideaway for a few lucky travellers in the past but those days seem to be gone. With the number of developments on the island kept below the amount you could count on one hand, the island has been able to captivate visitors with it astonishing beauty and local charm. Now, word is getting out and with the addition of some well-known names in the resort industry the question is, can this island become a “branded” winner while retaining its beauty and without outgrowing the magic that sets it apart?

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CAMBODIA - Coast of Utopia

Travel.nytimes.com/2007/11/18

As peace and a measure of prosperity have come to Cambodia, the government has identified the southern coast as a key to diversifying tourism — which for years has almost entirely been focused on Angkor — and travel agents have begun suggesting a few days on the beach as part of their Cambodia packages. The highway from the capital, three and a half hours away by car, has been paved with American aid money and is now safe and easy to navigate, even at night. (When I used to drive it, soldiers with AK-47s would step out onto the road to stop the cars, already slowed to a crawl by craters and washed-away pavement, to demand money and cigarettes.

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PHILIPPINES - Group to build RP’s first seven star hotel

Philippine Star, October 8, 2007

A joint partnership of Filipino and Chinese businessmen will build the country’s first seven star hotel possibly in The Fort or in the reclaimed area in Roxas Boulevard.“The seven star hotel will be similar to the one in Dubai,” Susan Barlin, co-founder of the CEO Club Philippines, said in an interview.The project dubbed as the Pentominium, will be a combination of retail outlets, offices and penthouses.The 35-story luxury hotel is an exclusive hotel given that the occupants will mostly be members of the CEO club. “They will use the hotel whenever they visit here either for a vacation or business,” Barlin explained.

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PHILIPPINES - Banyan Tree Expands to the Philippines

media.banyantree.com, 14 November 2007

Singapore Main-Board listed Banyan Tree Holdings Limited (“Banyan Tree” or the “Group”), a leading developer, designer and operator of top tier resorts, hotels and spas worldwide, today announced its new venture in the Philippines. Tree and its partner, Mr Salvador B Zamora II, a prominent businessman in the mining and real estate industries, have entered into a joint venture to develop and operate luxury resorts on Dinaran Island in the Philippines.

The uninhabited island, which has an area of about 55 hectares, is surrounded by stretches of white-sand beach. Located south of Manila in Palawan Province, Dinaran Island is just 15 minutes away by speedboat from the thriving town of Coron. Visitors can reach Coron through daily scheduled flights of approximately one hour from Manila to Yulo King Ranch Airport in Busuanga, which is the adjourning town to Coron.

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HONG KONG - Brand lessons from an 80-year-old

TTGasia.com, Nov 16-22, 2007

IS the world better off with fewer hotel brands, or more hotel brands?
There are at least 47 well-known brands in the global hotel industry today and still, there are not enough! During the recent Horwath Hotels Investment Conference Asia-Pacific at Hotel InterContinental Hong Kong, I listened with incredulity to global hotel chain CEOs saying more brands were needed. Indigo to me is a jazz number (as in the popular Blue Indigo). Soon it will be plastered on hotels as the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) pushes its expansion. A Pullman to me is a train car. Soon, it will be the MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) hotel brand of the Accor group, as the Crowne Plaza is to IHG.

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