HVS Asia Pacific Hospitality Newsletter - Week Ending 23 June 2017 (June 23, 2017)

Archipelago International to Open 12 New Hotels in Indonesia

Archipelago International, Indonesia’s largest hotel management chain, has announced plans to open at least 12 more hotels in Indonesia in 2017, as part of its multi-brand expansion plan. The company will launch new properties under five of its brands, namely the select-service, favehotel and Hotel NEO; the residential-style, Harper Hotels; upscale, Aston; and luxury, Alana brands. The new openings will be spread across the archipelago – from Batam in the west to Papua in the east. A total of five new properties will open under the favehotel brand. With inventory ranging between 64 and 164 keys, these hotels will be located in West Papua, Greater Jakarta’s Tangerang district, west of Surabaya, West Java and East Java. Hotel Neo will launch two properties in South Jakarta and Pontianak with approximately 100 rooms each, while three hotels under the Aston brand will be opened in Batam, Banyuwangi and Semarang with 247, 123 and 160 rooms respectively. To target the higher end of the market, Archipelago will open a 271-room Alana hotel in Sentul City, West Java. 

Shangri-La Confirmed for Planned Landmark Luxury Hotel in Melbourne CBD

Malaysian property developer, S P Setia Berhad Group, and Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts announced Shangri-La as the official hotel operator for the planned iconic luxury development in Melbourne’s CBD. The Cox and Fender Katsalidis-designed two-tower development, located at 308 Exhibition Street and overlooking Melbourne’s World Heritage-listed Carlton Gardens, is currently under consideration for planning approval. Slated for completion in 2022, the luxury Shangri-La Hotel, Melbourne will feature an estimated 500 guest rooms. The second tower will include around 300 luxury residential apartments as well as office space. A sky bridge will connect the two towers, and retail space will occupy the lower levels of the development. 

Surya Palace Vadodara Rebranded to Grand Mercure Vadodara Surya Palace

Last week AccorHotels announced the opening of the Grand Mercure Vadodara Surya Palace in Vadodara, Gujarat. Featuring 146 rooms, the hotel is situated approximately 7 kilometers southwest of the Vadodara Airport. On the food and beverage front, the hotel features an all-day dining restaurant, a delicatessen and 16 meeting rooms, with the largest meeting room measuring 533 square meters. Additional facilities at the hotel include a fitness center and a swimming pool. The Grand Mercure Vadodara is the conversion of the 30-year-old Surya Palace Hotel, which opened on February 28, 1987. Vadodara is the third largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat, and is regarded as the cultural capital.

OCT Group to Invest RMB238 Billion in Xi’an

OCT Group has recently signed an RMB238 billion strategic cooperation agreement with Xi’an Municipal Government to bring its ‘cultural tourism and urbanization’ model to the ancient city in the next five years, through a series of projects based on the northwestern city’s historical and cultural resources as well as modernization needs. The projects involve investments in areas such as Xixian, Weiyang, Beilin, Lianhu and Qujiang. Some RMB67 billion will be invested in Fengdong New Town in the Xixian New Area, while RMB50 billion will be spent for Qujiang. One of the key projects will be the Fengdong OCT cultural tourism complex in the Xixian New Area. Covering 16.25 square kilometers, the complex will comprise a Happy Valley Resort; Haojing National Historical Site Conservation Center; Doumen Historical and Cultural Town; and the Silk Road International Conference Center. Furthermore, within the framework of the RMB238 billion investment, OCT Group will participate in the reform of state-owned enterprises in Xi’an in order to facilitate the upgradation and transformation of the cultural industry in Xi’an City as well as in Shaanxi Province.

Malaysians Staying in 3-star Hotels or Below Could be Exempted from New Tourism Tax

Earlier this year in April, Malaysia announced its plan to impose a new tourism tax on hotels stays, ranging from RM2.50 to RM20 per room, per day, starting July 2017. However, the Finance Ministry Secretary, General Mohd. Irwan Serigar Abdullah, recently stated that the government may consider exempting locals, who stay in 3-star hotels and below, from paying the tourism tax. The decision is currently under consideration and is expected to be announced soon. The Finance Secretary further added that there will not be any complications in collecting the tax, as the existing tax system is also based on hotel ratings. Meanwhile, the new federal tourism tax rate is fixed at RM20 per room, per night for five-star hotels; RM10 per room, per night for four-star hotels; and RM5 per room, per night for one-, two- and three-star hotels. Revenue collected from the tax is expected to be approximately RM654.62 million, based on the premise of achieving 60 per cent overall occupancy rate on 11 million room nights in the country.

HVS Sponsored the Inaugural SEAHIS 2017 Conference in Bangkok

The inaugural South East Asia Hotel Investors’ Summit 2017, held June 13-14 in Bangkok, brought together a strong turnout of hotel owners, investors, developers and consultants from across the region. Key industry executives participated in exciting panel discussions that addressed a variety of trending topics such as the Millennial generation, non-traditional hotel types and the impact of technology on the sector. Managing Partner of HVS Asia Pacific, Daniel Voellm, moderated a panel on regional markets, which had been written off in the past and are now powering ahead, such as Da Nang, Chiang Mai and Khao Lak. Hok Yean Chee, Managing Partner of HVS Singapore, engaged the next generation of hotel families on a panel exploring their outlook and future plans. 

Absolute Share Price Performance, as on 23 June 2017

Closing Share Price as at 23 Jun 2017 16 Jun 2017 % Change
Australia Stock Exchange (ASX)
Elanor Investors Group 2.18 2.2 -0.9%
Event Hospitality and Entertainment Ltd 13.07 13.11 -0.3%
General Property Group 5.12 5.28 -3.0%
Mirvac Group 2.27 2.32 -2.2%
Mantra Group 3.06 2.98 2.7%
Bangkok Stock Exchange (THB)
Central Plaza Hotel Public Co Ltd 38.5 38 1.3%
Dusit Thani Public Co Ltd 9.6 9.7 -1.0%
The Erawan Group Public Co Ltd 5.25 5.05 4.0%
Grande Asset Hotels and Property Public Co Ltd 0.92 0.9 2.2%
Laguna Resorts & Hotel Public Co Ltd 26.5 25.75 2.9%
Minor International Public Co Ltd 40.75 39 4.5%
China Shanghai Stock Exchange (RMB)
Jinling Hotel Corporation Ltd 11.29 11.68 -3.3%
China Shenzhen Stock Exchange (RMB)
Huatian Hotel Group Co Ltd 5.03 5.19 -3.1%
Guangzhou Dong Fang Hotel Co Ltd 12.34 13.12 -5.9%
NASDAQ (US$)
China Lodging Group Ltd 82.7 77.35 6.9%
Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HK$)
Miramar Hotel & Investment Co Ltd 18.16 18.66 -2.7%
Regal Hotels International Holdings Ltd 7.00 7.11 -1.5%
Sino Hotels Holdings Ltd 2.9 2.89 0.3%
The Hong Kong & Shanghai Hotels Ltd 11.02 10.94 0.7%
Shangri-La Asia Limited 13.4 12.92 3.7%
National Stock Exchange (INR)
IHCL (Taj Hotels, Resorts & Palaces) 130.25 128.55 1.3%
EIH (Oberoi Hotels & Resorts) 137.55 134.65 2.2%
Hotel Leela Ventures 21.6 23.05 -6.3%
Korea Exchange (KRW)
The Shilla 55500 56200 -1.2%
Singapore Stock Exchange (S$)
Amara Holdings Ltd 0.52 0.52 0.0%
Ascendas Hospitality Trust 0.82 0.81 1.2%
Ascott Residence Trust 1.12 1.15 -2.6%
Banyan Tree Holdings Limited 0.48 0.505 -5.0%
CDL Hospitality Trusts 1.68 1.65 1.8%
Far East Hospitality Trust 0.68 0.67 1.5%
Frasers Hospitality Trust 0.73 0.725 0.7%
Hotel Grand Central Ltd 1.38 1.37 0.7%
Hotel Properties Ltd 3.93 3.92 0.3%
Mandarin Oriental International Ltd (US$) 2 2.02 -1.0%
OUE Hospitality Trust 0.73 0.725 0.7%
Stamford Land Corporation Ltd 0.520 0.530 -1.9%
Taiwan Stock Exchange (NT$)
Formosa International Hotels Corporation 164 158.5 3.5%
The Ambassador Hotel, Ltd 23.4 23.1 1.3%
Tokyo Stock Exchange (JPY)
Japan Hotel REIT Investment Corp. 80600 80800 -0.2%
Imperial Hotel, Ltd 2199 2177 1.0%
Red Planet Japan Inc 28 29 -3.4%

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