1. Japan: Hotels deal with drop in Chinese tourists
Japan experienced a prolonged period of strong travel demand in recent years, but some industry analysts were worried that would come to an end when Chinese officials urged that country’s citizens not to visit Japan amid diplomatic tensions.
Japan has lost more than half of the travelers from its top market source, but has managed to replace that Chinese tourism contingent by cobbling together increased business from other countries, according to Matthew Burke, regional director for the Asia Pacific region at CoStar’s hospitality data firm, STR.
2. UK: Landlord exodus deemed overstated after rental reforms
Concerns that United Kingdom reforms affecting renters’ rights could drive a sudden exit of landlords from regional apartment markets appear to be overestimated, according to industry analysts and survey data from property portal OnTheMarket.
A survey measuring landlord exits from the private rental sector showed a slow-but-steady increase in the number of owners putting rental properties up for sale. Some of those listings occurred prior to the May 1 implementation of the Renter’s Rights Act, and analysts cited a series of other contributing factors, such as seasonal timing of the listings.
3. France: Hines to expand European investments
American property investment firm Hines is looking to complete more than a third of its investments in Europe during 2026, and France will be at the heart of its ambitions.
“Last year, Europe was one-third of our overall investment base and, as we enter 2026, it is about 50% of our pipeline,” Steve Luthman, global head of real estate at Hines, told Business Immo during an interview at the firm’s Paris offices. “We deeply believe that European investment is the most resilient place around the world because of the lack of new supply.”
4. Germany: Investors ramp up apartment deals
Germany has seen an uptick this month in big transactions involving residential properties, including French asset manager Tikehau Capital’s purchase of a 300-apartment portfolio from investment firm Meag.
Tikehau teamed with investment manager Forte Capital to acquire the portfolio, including properties in Cologne, Bonn and Frankfurt, for about €80 million, according to Thomas Daily data. The deal arrived as investment firm AEW completed a European residential portfolio purchase from Patrizia for €250 million. Those apartments included 1,400 units across Potsdam, Düsseldorf and Dresden.
5. Canada: Skinny tower could get even tighter rooms as Vancouver’s first pod hotel
A planned Vancouver hotel is planned to be one of Canada's skinniest, and its rooms are set to be even tighter. The city is reviewing a proposal to build a 22-story hotel that would be 30 feet wide that, instead of standard rooms, would have what's called “nano pods,” capsule-like spaces just larger than a single bed.
Unison Architecture plans to demolish a vacant, 30-foot-wide storefront built in the 1950s at 948 Howe St., just south of Robson Square, and build what would be called the Nano Hotel. The project with 408 sleeping spaces would be Vancouver’s first pod hotel and reflects a trend that has been spreading since such properties were first developed in Japan in the 1970s.
6. US: Largest brokerages report best revenue since pandemic
Some of the world’s largest commercial real estate services firms posted record revenue in what’s gearing up to be the most profitable year for dealmaking since the pandemic. Analysts said leasing and sales demand is now meeting or surpassing levels in 2019, the last year before the pandemic and its aftermath upended transaction flows.
JLL, the world’s second-largest property services firm, reported first-quarter revenue of $6.4 billion, up 11% from the same time last year and a record for any first quarter. Newmark Group, the fifth-largest, posted $846.5 million in revenue, up 27.2% from the year-earlier quarter and a $14.4 million profit, up nearly 60%. They joined CBRE, the world’s largest property services firm, in expecting strong earnings growth and deal activity as a rebound in dealmaking that started last year picks up steam.
This report was compiled from CoStar’s news publications in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France and Germany.