Read the latest news from around the Asia-Pacific region.

In an interview with HNN’s Terence Baker, Winnie Chiu, president and executive director of Dorsett Hospitality International spoke about openings, company culture, investment opportunities and more.

“We feel very fortunate and proud that our business overall has remained stable despite the pandemic,” Chiu said. “In our home market of Hong Kong, we have managed to outperform our peers by being the first hotel group to come out and officially welcome Hong Kong residents and students returning from overseas who did not want to potentially expose their friends and family with potential COVID infection by quarantining at home. This early action has [also] given us … revenue, and our gross operating profit this financial year [April 2020-March 2021] remained on similar levels compared to our last financial year.”

Hoteliers are confident in Singapore’s hospitality industry among the number of new openings, including several new upscale brands, writes HNN contributor Selena Oh.

The COVID-19 pandemic has cut off the island city-state’s hotels from international visitors, and those who do arrive must quarantine in a government-registered hotel for 14 days. However, investors and developers are taking a long-term strategy in Singapore. Four new hotels are scheduled to open there through the end of the year.

“We welcome the arrival of new hotels that will add vibrance to our tourism landscape," said Kwee Wei-Lin, president of the Singapore Hotel Association. "Not only will these new brands provide greater diversity, they also reinforce Singapore’s appeal as a tourist destination. Before the pandemic, international tourism generated more than 90% of Singapore’s hotel revenue.”

IHG Hotels & Resorts announced its new conversion soft brand, the Vignette Collection, that will debut in Australia and Thailand, reports HNN’s Terence Baker. The collection will include both urban and resort properties.

“Our new Vignette Collection gives IHG a compelling way to welcome world-class independent hotels into our brand family, combining each property’s distinctive identity with the power of our global scale," IHG CEO Keith Barr said in the news release announcing the soft brand.

In an interview with HNN’s Bryan Wroten at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit, Outrigger Hospitality Group President and CEO Jeff Wagoner said his company’s international properties have run into challenges from travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its properties in Fiji are dependent upon Australia and New Zealand, whereas the “Phuket sandbox” has helped drive local and international travel back to the city in Thailand.

“They utilize that in order to create the template for opening up other resort destinations that are in Thailand,” he said. “We believe that those other resort destinations will open up, and we’ll start seeing some significant pent-up demand just like what happened in the U.S.”

Tokyo hotels reported their highest hotel occupancy in 17 months thanks to the city hosting the delayed summer Olympics, according to data from STR, CoStar’s hospitality analytics firm.

The 47.2% occupancy level in July was the market’s highest monthly level since February 2020. Daily occupancy reached 60.5% and 60.6% the night before and the night of the opening ceremony, respectively. Tokyo last passed the 60% daily occupancy threshold during the “Go To Travel” campaign on Nov. 21, 2020.

• Australia-based Oscar Hotel Group acquired the Oakwood Hotel and Apartments in Brisbane for 50 million Australian dollars ($36.7 million).
• Singapore-based Hotel Grand Central sold the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Palm Cove, Queensland, Australia, for AU$10.9 million.
• Hong Kong-based Rosewood Hotel Group announced Radha Arora, president of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, and Michael Dojlidko, senior vice president and general counsel, will take on the additional roles of co-chief development officers.