Asia Pacific, excluding China, Hotel Construction Pipeline Surges to Record Highs in Q4 2023

According to the recent Construction Pipeline Trend Report from Lodging Econometrics (LE), the total hotel construction pipeline in the Asia Pacific excluding China (APEC) increased 4% year-over-year (YOY) and closed 2023’s fourth quarter with a record-high 1,977 projects and 402,156 rooms.

At the close of the quarter, projects currently under construction account for 47% of the projects in the region’s total pipeline, with 922 projects/212,607 rooms. Projects scheduled to start construction in the next 12 months increased 8% YOY to stand at 342 projects/65,079 rooms at the Q4 close. Projects in the early planning stage grew 11% YOY and hit an all-time high of 713 projects with 124,470 rooms.

Higher-end chain scale project totals are up in the APEC region at Q4, with luxury, upper upscale, upscale projects and room counts all reaching record highs. Luxury hotel construction projects in the region increased 9% YOY to close the quarter at 241 projects/46,808 rooms. Upper upscale projects grew 12% since Q4 2022 to stand at 370 projects/83,083 rooms, and upscale projects increased 6% YOY to close the fourth quarter with 447 projects/96,730 rooms.

The APEC region had 357 new hotels/57,470 rooms open in 2023. LE analysts forecast another 381 new hotels with 74,341 rooms to open in 2024 and 379 new hotels with 76,422 rooms to open in 2025.

India Leads APEC with the Largest Hotel Construction Pipeline

At Q4, countries in the APEC region with the largest pipelines are led by India, which accounts for 26% of the projects in the region’s total pipeline with a record 514 projects/61,075 rooms. Next is Vietnam with 253 projects/88,827 rooms, then Indonesia with 208 projects/34,682 rooms. These countries are followed by Thailand with 155 projects/37,955 rooms and then Japan with 155 projects/30,024 rooms.

Cities in the region with the largest construction pipelines at Q4 2023 are Bangkok, Thailand with 61 projects/14,915 rooms; Jakarta, Indonesia, with 50 projects/9,748 rooms; and Melbourne, Australia, with 45 projects/8,354 rooms. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, follows with 36 projects/10,736 rooms, and then Phuket, Thailand, with 36 projects/9,525 rooms.

LE’s Database Platform is Now Available in Seven Languages 

Lodging Econometrics (LE), the leading provider of global lodging real estate intelligence, announces the launch of multi-language capabilities within its renowned Business Development Database of hotel development intelligence & decision-maker contacts. This groundbreaking update is poised to revolutionize the user experience, offering access to and understanding of crucial hotel development data in a user’s preferred language, thereby allowing clients to discover more new business opportunities.

Key Highlights of the Update:

Comprehensive Localization: This new premium update introduces a specialized localization dropdown selector, enabling clients to localize all elements within LE’s database, except for letterheads, to Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, or Hindi. This enhancement ensures that every aspect of the user interface is tailored to resonate with local audiences, fostering deeper engagement and understanding.

Future-Ready Solutions: In an era marked by increasing globalization, LE’s enhanced multi-language localization capabilities empower clients to adapt and thrive in diverse markets, providing clients with the ability to navigate and utilize essential hotel development data in their preferred language, breaking down language barriers, and enhancing accessibility and understanding. It allows for seamless participation in international collaborations, expanding market presence with greater ease. This, in turn, opens more opportunities for smoother communication and collaboration in the global hotel development landscape, ultimately supporting business growth and success.

“We are incredibly excited to introduce these new localization capabilities to our esteemed clients,” said Timothy Ford, President at Lodging Econometrics. “This update underscores our commitment to innovation and client-centricity. By offering comprehensive localization tools, LE is committed to supporting multi-national and global clients and expanding our powerful and sophisticated platform, all while making our database platform easier to use across entire organizations. The result for our current and future clients is to provide them with a new competitive edge, global empowerment, and sustainable growth.”