The hotel construction pipeline in the Asia Pacific region, excluding China (APEC), reached 2,074 projects with 408,213 rooms in the first quarter of 2025. This marks a 3% year-over-year (YOY) rise in project count and a 1% increase in the number of rooms, according to Lodging Econometrics’ Q1 2025 Hotel Construction Pipeline Trend Report.
By the end of Q1, 872 projects with 198,640 rooms were under construction across the region. This reflects a 1% increase in projects compared to the same period last year. Additionally, 328 projects with 66,559 rooms are scheduled to begin construction within the next 12 months.
The early planning stage also hit a new high. There are now 874 projects with 143,014 rooms in early planning, showing a 7% increase in projects and a 3% rise in room count YOY.
The upscale and upper-upscale segments continue to dominate the pipeline. The upscale segment hit a record with 519 projects and 103,815 rooms, up 9% in both categories compared to last year. The upper-upscale segment also reached a new high with 388 projects and 83,070 rooms—up 4% in projects and 2% in rooms. Together, these two segments account for 44% of the projects and 46% of the rooms in the APEC pipeline.
New construction starts also saw strong growth in Q1 2025. A total of 115 projects with 19,855 rooms broke ground, marking a 55% increase in projects and a 70% rise in rooms YOY.
The region also saw 124 new project announcements during the quarter, adding 20,181 rooms. Meanwhile, hotel renovations and brand conversions total 211 projects with 43,230 rooms.
India leads all countries in the APEC region with a record 693 projects and 88,884 rooms, showing a 19% increase in projects and a 27% rise in rooms YOY. Vietnam follows with 251 projects and 90,738 rooms, up 5% and 7% respectively. Thailand ranks third with a record 170 projects and 43,730 rooms, up 6% in projects and 18% in rooms. Indonesia is next with 170 projects and 29,797 rooms, followed by Japan with 164 projects and 27,572 rooms. Together, these five countries make up 70% of the APEC region’s pipeline.
Among APEC cities, Bangkok leads with 71 projects and 17,531 rooms, an increase of 6% in projects and 13% in rooms YOY. Jakarta follows with 45 projects and 10,135 rooms. Phuket ranks third with 39 projects and 9,810 rooms. Melbourne has 35 projects and 6,655 rooms. Bengaluru rounds out the top five with 32 projects and 6,282 rooms, showing sharp increases of 39% in projects and 46% in rooms.
In Q1 2025, 65 new hotels with 11,151 rooms opened in the region. Another 296 hotels with 58,972 rooms are expected to open during the rest of the year. Lodging Econometrics forecasts a total of 361 new hotel openings with 70,123 rooms by the end of 2025. For 2026, analysts expect 311 new hotels and 63,544 rooms to open across the APEC region.
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