Analysts at Lodging Econometrics (LE) state that Asia Pacific’s total construction pipeline, excluding China, hit a new all-time high at the close of 2019 with 1,926 projects/409,447 rooms. Project counts are up 7%, while room counts are up 8%, year-over-year (YOY).
Projects currently under construction stand at a record 991 projects with 224,354 rooms. Projects scheduled to start construction in the next 12 months and those in the early planning stage are also at all-time highs with 436 projects/85,417 rooms and 499 projects/99,676 rooms, respectively.
New projects announced into the pipeline have accelerated noticeably with 319 projects/55,165 rooms announced in the fourth quarter of 2019. This is the highest number of new projects announced since the second quarter of 2014 when 568 projects/98,738 rooms were announced.
The Asia Pacific region had 374 new hotels/69,527 rooms open in 2019. The LE forecast anticipates that 439 projects/84,188 rooms are expected to open in 2020. Should all these projects come online, this will be the highest count of new hotel openings that LE has ever recorded. Then in 2021, new hotel openings are forecast to slow to 371 projects/76,710 rooms.
Countries with the largest pipelines in Asia Pacific, excluding China, are led by Indonesia with 367 projects/60,354 rooms, which accounts for 19% of the projects in the total pipeline. Next is India with 265 projects/36,469 rooms, then Japan with 251 projects/49,869 rooms. These countries are followed by Australia, at an all-time high, with 192 projects/36,350 rooms and then Vietnam with 149 projects/59,857 rooms.
Cities in the Asia Pacific region, excluding China, with the largest construction pipelines are Jakarta, Indonesia with 86 projects/15,163 rooms, Seoul, South Korea with 68 projects/13,373 rooms and Tokyo, Japan with 61 projects/13,210 rooms. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia follows with 50 projects/13,147 rooms and then Bangkok, Thailand with 43 projects/11,427 rooms.
The top franchise companies in Asia Pacific, excluding China, are Marriott International, at a new all-time high, with 273 projects/61,590 rooms, AccorHotels with 224 projects/46,502 rooms, and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) with 151 projects/32,701 rooms. Hilton Worldwide follows, also at record high counts, with 93 projects/20,762 rooms. Combined, these four companies account for 40% of the rooms in the total construction pipeline.
Top brands in Asia Pacific’s construction pipeline, excluding China, include Marriott International’s Fairfield Inn, at a record high, with 40 projects/6,563 rooms, and Courtyard with 37 projects/7,889 rooms; AccorHotels’ Ibis brands with 49 projects/9,305 rooms and Novotel with 43 projects/10,438 rooms; IHG’s Holiday Inn with 58 projects/12,457 rooms and Holiday Inn Express with 31 projects/6,281 rooms; Hilton Worldwide’s top brands are DoubleTree with 33 projects/6,514 rooms and full-service Hilton Hotel & Resorts, at an all-time high, with 30 projects/7,885 rooms.
*Please keep in mind that the COVID-19 (coronavirus) did not have an impact on fourth quarter 2019 totals reported by LE. As of the printing of this media release, countries in Asia Pacific that have been most affected by COVID-19, after China, are South Korea, Japan and Singapore. New confirmed cases continue to be added and it is still too early to predict the full impact of the outbreak on the hospitality and lodging industry. We will have more information to report in the coming months.
Related Stories
Market Data | Feb 20, 2019
Strong start to 2019 for architecture billings
“The government shutdown affected architecture firms, but doesn’t appear to have created a slowdown in the profession,” said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, Hon. AIA, PhD, in the latest ABI report.
Market Data | Feb 19, 2019
ABC Construction Backlog Indicator steady in Q4 2018
CBI reached a record high of 9.9 months in the second quarter of 2018 and averaged about 9.1 months throughout all four quarters of last year.
Market Data | Feb 14, 2019
U.S. Green Building Council announces top 10 countries and regions for LEED green building
The list ranks countries and regions in terms of cumulative LEED-certified gross square meters as of December 31, 2018.
Market Data | Feb 13, 2019
Increasingly tech-enabled construction industry powers forward despite volatility
Construction industry momentum to carry through first half of 2019.
Market Data | Feb 4, 2019
U.S. Green Building Council announces annual Top 10 States for LEED Green Building in 2018
Illinois takes the top spot as USGBC defines the next generation of green building with LEED v4.1.
Market Data | Feb 4, 2019
Nonresidential construction spending dips in November
Total nonresidential spending stood at $751.5 billion on a seasonally adjusted annualized rate.
Market Data | Feb 1, 2019
The year-end U.S. hotel construction pipeline continues steady growth trend
Project counts in the early planning stage continue to rise reaching an all-time high of 1,723 projects/199,326 rooms.
Market Data | Feb 1, 2019
Construction spending is projected to increase by more than 11% through 2022
FMI’s annual outlook also expects the industry’s frantic M&A activity to be leavened by caution going forward.
Market Data | Jan 23, 2019
Architecture billings slow, but close 2018 with growing demand
AIA’s Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score for December was 50.4 compared to 54.7 in November.
Market Data | Jan 16, 2019
AIA 2019 Consensus Forecast: Nonresidential construction spending to rise 4.4%
The education, public safety, and office sectors will lead the growth areas this year, but AIA's Kermit Baker offers a cautious outlook for 2020.
