Asia Pacific’s Hotel Pipeline Rose by 4%: Lodging Econometrics

The total pipeline of hotels under construction in the Asia Pacific region, excluding China (APEC), reached a record-breaking 2,140 projects with 409,616 rooms. This new all-time high represents a 4% y-o-y increase in projects and a 1% y-o-y increase in rooms, according to the Q2 2025 Hotel Construction Pipeline Trend Report from Lodging Econometrics (LE).

LE is the trusted provider of Business Development Database Programs to industry-leading hotel franchise companies, lodging industry vendors, ownership and management groups, wall street analysts, industry consultants and many other companies.

At the close of the second quarter, there were 872 projects/190,179 rooms under construction throughout the APAC region. In addition, there were 380 projects/74,333 rooms scheduled to start construction in the next 12 months, marking a 6% y-o-y increase in projects and a 13% increase y-o-y in rooms.

The early planning stage reached a new record-high project total at Q2 with 888 projects totalling 145,104 rooms, reflecting a 6% YOY increase in projects and a 3% YOY increase in rooms, the report said.

Construction starts in the region were strong in Q2 2025, with 89 projects/15,142 rooms breaking ground, marking a 44% increase in projects and a 19% increase in rooms y-o-y. The region also recorded 164 new project announcements totalling 24,703 rooms at the close of the quarter, up 15% by projects and 5% by rooms y-o-y. Combined hotel renovations and brand conversions stand at 255 projects/46,562 rooms.

Standout chain scales in the APEC region at the Q2 close include the upscale chain scale with record-high project and room totals of 534 projects and 105,002 rooms, up 7% by projects and 6% by rooms y-o-y, the upper upscale scale, also at record-high project and room counts of 386 projects/82,230 rooms, up 4% by projects y-o-y, and the luxury chain scale with 352 projects/67,506 rooms, up 14% by projects and 12% by rooms y-o-y.

The top countries in the APEC region by project count are led by India with a new record-high project and room count of 761 projects/99,195 rooms, up 25% by projects and 32% by rooms y-o-y.  Vietnam was next with 247 projects/83,022 rooms, then Japan with 177 projects/28,784 rooms, up 9% by projects y-o-y. Indonesia stands at 169 projects/29,519 rooms, and Thailand with 167 projects/42,909 rooms. These five countries combined account for 71% of the region’s total pipeline projects.

Cities in the APEC region with the largest pipelines by project count at Q2 were led by Bangkok in Thailand with 68 projects/16,791 rooms, up 9% by rooms y-o-y. Jakarta, Indonesia, follows with 44 projects/9,874 rooms, up 5% by projects and 10% by rooms y-o-y.

Next was Phuket, also in Thailand, with 41 projects/10,310 rooms, up 14% by both projects and by rooms y-o-y. At the Q2 close, Tokyo, Japan, stood with 38 projects/5,240 rooms, Bengaluru in India with 36 projects/7,112 rooms, up 44% by projects and 52% by rooms y-o-y, the report revealed.

New Hotels in H1

During the first half of 2025, 130 new hotels totalling 22,182 rooms opened in the APEC region, with an additional 219 new hotels/46,315 rooms forecast to open in the second half of the year.

LE expects a total of 349 new hotels and 68,497 rooms to open by year-end 2025. Looking ahead to 2026, its analysts forecast an additional 288 new hotels and 60,216 rooms to open throughout the APEC region.

Announcing for the first time at Q2, LE’s 2027 total year-end forecast anticipates 303 new hotels and 54,323 rooms to open across the APEC region, the report said.