I am two years away from turning 30, freshly married and slowly realizing my window for traveling to wherever the heck I want is closing (at least temporarily as I make my way through life’s milestones).
The saddest realization? I’ve only left the United States a handful of times. Four times to head to America’s Hat, otherwise known as Canada. And once to the beautiful island of Jamaica, which I returned from less than a month ago.
Ever since that vacation, I’ve found myself pondering how I can squeeze in some trips before my parents demand grandchildren. I’ve spent the past few weeks perusing some of those “Best in Travel” lists, and one in particular caught my eye: Lonely Planet’s Top 10 cities to see in 2016.
I enjoyed this list for a couple of reasons:
- It’s fairly expansive, including classic destinations, in addition to some under-the-radar cities; and
- it has a wonderful presentation (which you can view here).
I decided it would be a good idea to take a look at what’s going on with the hotel pipeline in a few of these cities. But before we dive in to provide some color, let’s take a look at Lonely Planet’s recommendations for the top 10 cities to visit next year:
- Kotor, Montenegro;
- Quito, Ecuador;
- Dublin;
- George Town, Malaysia;
- Rotterdam, The Netherlands;
- Mumbai, India;
- Fremantle, Australia;
- Manchester, England;
- Nashville, Tennessee; and
- Rome.
Perhaps I’m showing my lack of skills when it comes to geography, but I had no idea Kotor was a city, let alone one that stands out enough to be Lonely Planet’s top city. Upon researching for this blog, I learned that Kotor is part of a World Heritage Site dubbed the Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor. Sounds like a solid demand driver.
Turns out, there are zero hotels coming online in Kotor, according to data from STR Global, sister company of Hotel News Now. But that doesn’t surprise me. The coastal town in Montenegro is located in a secluded part of the Gulf of Kotor, which I imagine makes it somewhat difficult to develop real estate. Many tourists visit the historic town via cruise ship.
Let’s pop over to Quito, Ecuador, and briefly talk projects. According to STR Global, there are four hotel projects in the planning, final planning and in-construction phases. If completed, the hotels will bring an additional 1,601 rooms online. The largest property under construction is the Wyndham Quito Airport Gran Condor with 146 rooms.
Quito, which is the capital city of Ecuador, is undergoing a reinvention, with 21st-century infrastructure going up around the city’s heart. What’s leading the reinvention? Big oil. Additionally, a new metro system is in the works, which will take visitors from the bus station through all the historical districts of the market. I’m sensing a theme here with the historical cities. And this millennial loves history, despite past reports indicating otherwise.
Mumbai, India, is of most interest to me (and it’s not because I took the “What’s your travel destiny?” quiz). OK, yes it is. I mean why would I not follow my destiny? The economy is booming and so is the hotel pipeline. There are 29 hotel projects comprising 6,453 rooms in the pipeline, according to STR Global. The largest project under construction is the Radisson Blu Hotel Mumbai Powai, which will have 335 rooms.
Lonely Planet put this city on its list for a multitude of reasons. But there are two main reasons the city has become more alluring for travelers: the new airport terminal and the new air-conditioned monorail. With Mumbai’s year-round average temperatures well above 85 degrees Fahrenheit, air-conditioned transportation is an attractive thing.
Last but not least, let’s talk Nashville. As the only U.S. market to make the list, Nashville is on fire and shows no sign of slowing down. But supply coming online over the next two years is bonkers. There are 68 hotel projects in the planning, final planning and in-construction phases. If all projects are completed, that will bring an additional 8,695 rooms to Music City, according to data provided by STR, parent company of Hotel News Now.
We HNN folks spend a great deal of time in Nashville, as STR is based in Hendersonville, Tennessee, and I can definitively say I have seen this market change during the last four years I’ve been with the company. But it’s an exciting change! And I’m happy to say that I have at least made it to one of the cities on Lonely Planet’s list, so I don’t feel like too much of a hermit.
I’ve got roughly $460 in my savings account, so that’s where my travel fund stands. We’ll see where that goes by mid-year, and I will hopefully be able to book one of these trips. Do you have an interesting, under-the-radar destination you think I should see? Send me an email or comment below.
Email Samantha Worgull or find her on Twitter.
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