India Leads Asia Pacific Hotel Development Boom
The Asia Pacific hotel construction pipeline, excluding China, reached a record 2,387 projects with 442,973 rooms at the close of Q1 2026, according to the latest report by Lodging Econometrics. The region recorded a year-on-year growth of 15 percent in projects and 9 percent in room count, highlighting strong momentum in hospitality development across Asia Pacific markets.
Strong Growth Across Construction Stages
Projects currently under construction stood at 963 projects with 202,877 rooms, accounting for nearly 40 percent of the total regional pipeline. Projects scheduled to begin construction within the next 12 months rose to 386 projects and 72,569 rooms, while early planning stage projects touched a record 1,038 projects and 167,527 rooms.
During the quarter, developers announced 228 new projects while construction started on 144 projects comprising 25,530 rooms.
Luxury and Upscale Segments Dominate
Higher-end hospitality projects continue to dominate the region’s development landscape. Luxury hotel projects climbed to a record 404 projects and 75,803 rooms, while upper upscale developments reached 420 projects and 88,303 rooms. The upscale segment also hit new highs with 616 projects and 120,127 rooms.
The midscale category emerged as the fastest-growing segment, recording a 26 percent increase in projects year-on-year.
India Emerges as APEC’s Largest Hospitality Market
India led the APEC hotel pipeline with a record 940 projects and 124,011 rooms, representing nearly 39 percent of the region’s total development pipeline. Vietnam ranked second, followed by Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand.
At the city level, Bangkok emerged as the most active hotel development market with 68 projects, followed by Bengaluru, Jakarta, Mumbai, and Tokyo.
Conversion Projects See Sharp Rise
Hotel conversion projects across the region also surged significantly, rising 82 percent year-on-year to 353 projects and 57,219 rooms as operators increasingly adopt asset repositioning strategies.
Industry analysts expect 302 hotel projects with over 59,000 rooms to open across APEC markets by the end of 2026, with an additional 362 projects forecasted for 2027.
