In the Q2 2024 Asia Pacific, excluding China (APEC), Hotel Construction Pipeline Trend Report from Lodging Econometrics (LE), the total pipeline in APEC has hit a record 2,056 projects with 406,118 rooms, marking a 6 per cent increase in projects and a 1 per cent rise in rooms year-over-year (YOY).



A total of 864 projects with 199,784 rooms are under construction in the APEC region. Projects scheduled to start construction in the next 12 months have risen to 358 with 65,853 rooms, up 23 per cent by projects and rooms YOY. Projects and rooms in the early planning stage have soared to a record-high 834 projects with 140,481 rooms, representing a 19 per cent YOY increase in projects and 6 per cent in rooms.



The upper upscale, upscale, and upper-midscale chain scales dominate the pipeline, accounting for 62 per cent of projects and 65 per cent of rooms. The upper upscale and upscale chain scales hit record-high project and room counts at the end of Q2 24. The upscale segment leads with 507 projects and 100,524 rooms, while upper midscale and upper upscale stand at 390 projects and 78,452 rooms, and 380 projects and 83,811 rooms, respectively. Notably, renovation and conversion projects in the APEC region reached an all-time high of 305 projects with 51,909 rooms in the second quarter.



The countries with the most projects in the APEC construction pipeline in Q2 are led by India, with a record-high 610 projects and 75,280 rooms, accounting for 30 per cent of the projects in the total APEC pipeline. Following at a distance are Vietnam with 247 projects and 85,760 rooms, Indonesia with 181 projects and 31,550 rooms, Thailand with 163 projects and 38,350 rooms, and Japan with 162 projects and 30,122 rooms.



In Q2, the APEC cities with the largest project counts were Bangkok with 67 projects and 15,394 rooms, Jakarta with 42 projects and 8,979 rooms, and Melbourne with 40 projects and 7,496 rooms. Phuket followed with 36 projects and 9,050 rooms, and Sydney with 31 projects and 5,225 rooms.



In Q2 2024, 62 projects and 12,721 rooms started construction, and 142 new projects and 23,541 rooms were announced into the region’s pipeline. Fifty-seven new hotels and 9,214 rooms opened in the APEC region during the second quarter, totalling 131 new hotels and 23,316 rooms opened in the first half of 2024. LE forecasts an additional 228 new hotels to open throughout Q3–Q4, bringing the total year-end 2024 openings to 359 new hotels with 69,861 rooms.



LE analysts forecast India to dominate the APEC region’s new hotel openings forecast over the coming years, claiming 25 per cent of total openings in 2024 and leading with the most significant number of new openings through year-end 2026.



In 2025, LE analysts anticipate 323 new hotels with 66,523 rooms to open in the APEC region. LE’s newly released forecast for 2026 New Hotel Openings expects 341 new hotels and 65,617 rooms throughout the APEC region.