The hotel construction pipeline in the Asia-Pacific region, excluding China, reached record highs in the third quarter of 2025, with a significant increase in projects and rooms.
The hotel construction pipeline across the Asia-Pacific region, excluding China (APEC), has reached unprecedented levels, according to the latest Hotel Construction Pipeline Trend Report from Lodging Econometrics (LE). As of the end of the third quarter of 2025, the APEC hotel construction pipeline included 2,262 projects and 434,593 rooms, marking year-over-year increases of 9% in projects and 6% in rooms.
Projects currently under construction in the APEC region numbered 898, encompassing 199,865 rooms, reflecting a 6% increase in projects and a 1% rise in rooms compared to the previous year. Additionally, projects slated to commence within the next 12 months totaled 374, with 72,215 rooms, showing a 6% increase in projects and a 12% increase in rooms year-over-year. The early planning stage also saw record highs, with 990 projects and 162,513 rooms, up 14% in projects and 9% in rooms year-over-year.
The third quarter saw 226 new project announcements, accounting for 42,405 rooms. Construction starts during this period included 102 projects and 24,430 rooms, with both metrics nearly doubling in project count year over year.
The upper upscale and upscale chain scales dominated the APEC pipeline at the close of the third quarter, representing 43% of projects and 45% of rooms. The upscale chain scale reached record levels with 560 projects and 109,928 rooms, reflecting an 11% increase in projects and a 10% rise in rooms year-over-year. Similarly, the upper upscale chain scale reached record highs with 407 projects and 86,110 rooms, representing a 12% increase in projects and a 7% increase in rooms year-over-year. The luxury chain scale segment also saw a record number of projects, closing the quarter with 374 projects and 70,470 rooms, marking a 15% increase in projects and a 12% rise in rooms year-over-year.
Combined hotel renovations and brand conversions in the APEC region reached a record high, with 287 projects and 52,825 rooms, representing a 24% increase in projects and a 7% rise in rooms year-over-year.
India led the region with record-high counts, reporting 838 projects and 108,775 rooms at the end of the third quarter, representing a 31% increase in projects and a 37% increase in rooms year-over-year. This accounted for 37% of total projects and 25% of rooms in the region’s overall pipeline. Other leading countries included Vietnam with 248 projects and 91,003 rooms, Thailand with 167 projects and 43,600 rooms, Japan with 193 projects and 31,931 rooms, and Indonesia with 177 projects and 30,106 rooms.
Cities with the largest pipelines by project count in the APEC region included Bangkok, Thailand, with 65 projects and 16,316 rooms; Jakarta, Indonesia, with 48 projects and 10,466 rooms; Phuket, Thailand, with 42 projects and 10,419 rooms; Bengaluru, India, with 39 projects and 7,710 rooms; and Da Nang, Vietnam, with 24 projects and 10,395 rooms.
In the first three quarters of 2025, 220 new hotels with a total of 34,452 rooms opened across the APEC region. Analysts from LE forecast an additional 105 new hotels with 18,299 rooms to open by the end of the year, bringing the total for 2025 to 325 new hotels and 52,751 rooms.
Looking ahead, the LE forecast anticipates 336 new hotels with 72,886 rooms to open by the end of 2026, followed by 322 new hotels with 58,100 rooms by the end of 2027.
