Hotel investment volumes in Asia reached US$7.5 billion at the end of 2013, up 218 per cent on 2012, defying all industry expectations, according to the latest figures from JLL’s Hotels and Hospitality Group. Consequently, this makes 2013 the strongest year for the Singapore hotel market post the Global Finance Crisis in 2007, when transaction volumes stood at US$10.3 billion, the Singapore Business Review reports.
JLL claims that 2014 will be a similar stand-out year, although transaction volumes are likely to fall on the back of limited supply, despite strong demand. Singapore, Japan and Mainland China led the region’s growth in 2013, with Japan topping the overall investment volumes at US$2.7 billion, up 480 per cent on 2012, as hotel trading performance improved in line with the expansion of the domestic economy and renewed growth in corporate leisure and travel.
2013 was also a remarkable year for the Singapore hotel market with capital values reaching new records, resulting in transaction volumes of USD 2.0 billion, over ten times that recorded in 2012, predominantly supported by the sale of Grand Park Orchard hotel and Knightsbridge retail, the City’s largest single asset transaction to date.
In third place, China accounted for around 13 percent of total investment activity, recording USD 1.1 billion of transactions, as recent government announcements to improve access to financing drove investor sentiment over the second half of 2013.
Frank Sorgiovanni, Vice President, Research & Strategic Advisory, Hotels & Hospitality, JLL comments on the markets that will receive most investor attention throughout the year, “Japan, Indochina and the Indian Ocean may account for the majority of transaction volumes in 2014. Investors are gradually considering emerging hotel markets such as Myanmar and Sri Lanka where deals will be opportunistic. The Singapore and Mainland China markets will also remain strong on the back of robust investor appetite.”
Source: Singapore Business Review
