The Asia Pacific, excluding China, Hotel Construction Pipeline Reaches Record Highs in Q3 2025

According to the latest Hotel Construction Pipeline Trend Report from Lodging Econometrics (LE), the hotel development pipeline across the Asia-Pacific region, excluding China, (APEC) continued its growth trajectory through the third quarter of 2025. At the close of Q3, the total APEC hotel construction pipeline reached record-highs of 2,262 projects and 434,593 rooms, representing year-over-year (YOY) increases of 9% and 6% respectively.

At the close of the third quarter, hotel projects in the APEC region currently under construction stand at 898 projects/199,865 rooms, up 6% by projects and 1% by rooms YOY. Projects scheduled to start within the next 12 months stand at 374 projects/72,215 rooms at the end of Q3, up 6% by projects and 12% by rooms YOY. Projects and rooms in the early planning stage hit record highs, reaching 990 projects with 162,513 rooms, up 14% by projects and 9% by rooms YOY.

New project announcements (NPAs) in the third quarter totaled 226 projects with 42,405 rooms. Construction starts reached 102 projects/24,430 rooms. Both NPAs and construction starts nearly doubled by project count YOY.

The upper upscale and upscale chain scales dominate the APEC pipeline at the Q3 close, accounting for 43% of projects and 45% of the rooms in the pipeline. Projects in the upscale chain scale reached record highs at Q3 with 560 projects and 109,928 rooms, up 11% by projects and 10% by rooms YOY. The upper upscale chain scale also hit record highs with 407 projects/86,110 rooms, up 12% by projects and 7% by rooms YOY. Notably, the luxury chain scale segment also reached record-high project counts at Q3, closing the quarter at 374 projects/70,470 rooms, up 15% by projects and 12% by rooms YOY.

At Q3, combined hotel renovations and brand conversions in the APEC region hit record-high room counts at 287 projects/52,825 rooms, up 24% by projects and 7% by rooms YOY.

In the first three quarters, 220 new hotels with 34,452 rooms opened across the APEC region. For the remainder of the year, LE analysts forecast another 105 new hotels/18,299 rooms to open, for a year-end 2025 forecasted total of 325 new hotels/52,751 rooms.
Looking ahead, the LE forecast for new hotel openings in the APEC region anticipates 336 new hotels with 72,886 rooms to open by year-end 2026, followed by 322 new hotels with 58,100 rooms by year-end 2027.

India Continues to Lead the Region with Record-High Counts

India continues to lead the region with record-high counts, with 838 projects and 108,775 rooms at Q3, up 31% by projects and 37% by rooms YOY, and accounting for 37% of total projects and 25% of the rooms in the region’s overall pipeline. Other top countries include Vietnam with 248 projects/91,003 rooms, Thailand with 167 projects/43,600 rooms, Japan with 193 projects/31,931 rooms, and Indonesia with 177 projects/30,106 rooms.

At the close of the third quarter, cities with the largest pipelines by project count in the APEC region include Bangkok, Thailand, with 65 projects/16,316 rooms; Jakarta, Indonesia, with 48 projects/10,466 rooms; Phuket, Thailand, with 42 projects/10,419 rooms; Bengaluru, India, with 39 projects/7,710 rooms; and Da Nang, Vietnam, with 24 projects/10,395 rooms.

China’s Hotel Construction Pipeline Reaches 3,695 Projects with 656,873 Rooms in Q3 2025

In the Q3 2025 China Construction Pipeline Trend Report by Lodging Econometrics (LE), at the end of the quarter, China’s total hotel construction pipeline stands at 3,695 projects with 656,873 rooms.

At the close of the third quarter, there are 2,728 projects/478,859 rooms under construction in China. Projects scheduled to start construction in the next 12 months stand at 332 projects/56,141 rooms. Projects in the early planning stage total 635 projects with 121,873 rooms. Construction starts increased in Q3, rising 10% year-over-year (YOY) by projects and 5% by rooms, to close the quarter at 265 projects/41,189 rooms. New project announcements in China in the third quarter totaled 252 projects/34,721 rooms.

The upper midscale chain scale reached a record-high project count this quarter, ending Q3 with 1,229 projects/185,208 rooms, up 1% by projects YOY. The upscale chain scale has 1,049 projects/219,728 rooms, up 2% by projects YOY. Combined, these two chain scales account for 62% of both projects and rooms in China’s hotel construction pipeline.

Combined brand conversions and hotel renovations in China reached record-high project totals at Q3, increasing 21% YOY by projects and 9% YOY by rooms, with 225 hotels/41,370 rooms. Brand conversions alone hit record-high project and room counts, with 208 projects/36,038 rooms.

Through the third quarter of 2025, 743 new hotels totaling 106,788 rooms have opened in China. The LE forecast for new hotel openings expects another 316 hotels with 45,900 rooms to open in the fourth quarter, bringing the forecasted new hotel openings to 1,059 new hotels with 152,688 rooms by year-end 2025.

LE analysts forecast 978 new hotels with 143,603 rooms to open by year-end 2026. In 2027, analysts expect 739 new hotel openings with 142,076 rooms to open.

Chengdu Leads Hotel Construction in China with 137 Projects

Cities in China with the largest pipelines at the Q3 close are led by Chengdu with 137 projects/24,412 rooms, then Shanghai with 128 projects/22,151 rooms, Guangzhou with 124 projects/24,792 rooms, Hangzhou with 105 projects/20,006 rooms, and Xi’an with 88 projects/15,201 rooms.