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1. Chinese hotel bookings in Japan fall between 50% and 70%
Bookings of Japanese hotel rooms by Chinese guests have fallen between 50% and 70%, Asia Business Daily reports.
“Tripla, a Japanese accommodation reservation site, reported that the number of hotel bookings from China during the week of November 21-27 dropped by about 57% compared to November 6-12, before the Chinese government’s advisory against visiting Japan,” according to the news outlet. It added that Japan’s popularity as a destination due to the weaker yen has seen international demand continue and resulted in an overall occupancy decrease of approximately 9%.
According to the Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau, “50% to 70% of reservations by Chinese guests had been canceled through the end of December.” Kansai Airports, which operates Kansai International Airport, the gateway for the Japanese cities of Kyoto and Osaka, said “the number of flights connecting Kansai Airport and China will be reduced by about 34% in the second week of December. … The reduction will average about 28% in the first quarter of next year.”
2. Arora completes acquisition of Ministry of Justice London building
Arora Group has completed its acquisition of office building 102 Petty France in the Westminster district of London for £245 million ($323.5 million). Aviva has already announced it agreed to a loan valued at £175 million.
CoStar News reaffirmed Aviva’s involvement. In August, Arora Group COO Sanjay Arora said that the “No. 1 option [for the building] is a hotel.” Arora Group has 12 open hotels, nine of which are 300-room-plus airport hotels spread across London in proximity to Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick airports.
3. Thailand lifts 53-year ban on afternoon alcohol sales
Thailand has lifted restrictions on the sale of alcohol in the afternoons — a ban that was in place for 53 years — according to the Bangkok Post. The rule, which forbade the selling of alcoholic drinks between 2-5 p.m., initially was put in place during the period of military rule in the country. Some said it was to stop office workers and even students leaving school from drinking.
The repeal of the ban begins immediately, following the official signing of the legislation by signed by Thailand’s public health minister. The new rule will initially be trialed for six months. According to Thai newspaper The Nation, Thailand saw a record 32.4 million visitors in 2024.
4. OECD: Global economies resilient but showing strain
According to the latest report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development, the global economy in 2025 has “proved more resilient than expected this year … (but) underlying fragilities are increasing.” It added that the economic situation has been buoyed by improved financial conditions, rising AI-related investment and macroeconomic policies. The Dec. 2 report said the future health of the global economy demands that governments need to ensure debt sustainability through credible medium-term plans and that central banks need to remain alert to shifts in inflation dynamics.
The BBC said the report indicates that the United Kingdom economy will remain one of the strongest in the G7 nations. The U.K. economy is forecast to grow 1.4% this year before slowing to 1.2% in 2026. The BBC added the OECD’s “prediction for next year is an improvement on its previous estimate.” The U.K.’s Office for Budget Responsibility was a little more bullish in its outlook delivered alongside the Nov. 26 annual budget, predicting U.K. growth would be 1.5% for full-year 2025, 1.4% in 2026 and 1.5% in the years 2027 to 2030. These predictions were lowered slightly from previous guidance issued this year.
5. Hotel shares rebound sharply in November
Hotel stocks recovered notably in November compared with October, with both the global hotel brands and hotel real estate investment trusts significantly outperforming their respective benchmarks, according to the Baird Hotel Stock Index. However, public hotel REITs saw a mixed bag of performance, said Michael Bellisario, senior research analyst and managing director at Baird. Hilton's shares rose 12.5% in the last 12 months, but three firms, Ashford Hospitality Trust, Choice Hotels International and Park Hotels & Resorts, saw their shares decrease 60.4%, 39.7% and 30.4%, respectively.
Bellisario added that hotel stocks rallied on the heels of better-than-feared third-quarter earnings.
“Investors shifted their focus to the more favorable growth setup in 2026; the broader risk-on trading backdrop and increased expectations for a near-term interest rate cut added to the upward momentum for hotel stocks,” Bellisario said.