Travellers will have to shell out a little bit more when staying at hotels in Asia-Pacific next year, with rates in the majority of countries in across the region expected to rise, according to American Express Global Business Travel’s recent Global Business Travel Forecast 2019.
New Zealand is set to see the greatest increase in prices, with 2019 expected to see a jump of 9 per cent in hotel rates compared to 2018, according to the findings. This is followed by the Philippines (5 per cent) and Malaysia (4 per cent).
This largely appears to be driven by price hikes in the country’s major cities, notably Auckland (8 per cent), Manila (5 per cent) and Kuala Lumpur (4 per cent).
Moderate increases of between 1 and 3 per cent are predicted for most other countries across the region.
Only two countries in Asia-Pacific are predicted to see cheaper rates next year, with hotel rates in South Korea predicted to drop 1 per cent and in Vietnam by 3 per cent.
And while China and India are only forecast to see rates climb nationally by 1 and 2 per cent, respectively, a few major cities are expected to see more notable price hikes.
These include Shenzhen (5 per cent) as well as Bangalore (4 per cent) and Hyderabad (4 per cent).
| Country | City | 2019 Hotel Rate Forecast |
| Australia | Brisbane | -3% |
| Melbourne | 4% | |
| Perth | -4% | |
| Sydney | 4% | |
| China | Beijing | 1% |
| Chongqing | 0% | |
| Guangzhou | -2% | |
| Hong Kong | 1% | |
| Shanghai | 0% | |
| Shenzhen | 5% | |
| Suzhou | 1% | |
| India | Bangalore | 4% |
| Chennai | -3% | |
| Hyderabad | 4% | |
| Mumbai | 2% | |
| New Delhi | 2% | |
| Pune | 0% | |
| Indonesia | Jakarta | 3% |
| Japan | Osaka | 3% |
| Tokyo | 3% | |
| Kazakhstan | Astana | 2% |
| Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur | 3% |
| New Zealand | Auckland | 8% |
| The Philippines | Manila | 5% |
| Singapore | Singapore | 1% |
| South Korea | Seoul | 0% |
| Taiwan | Taipei | 3% |
| Thailand | Bangkok | 2% |
| Vietnam | Hanoi | -3% |
| Ho Chi Minh City | 2% |
Source: American Express Global Business Travel – Global Business Travel Forecast 2019
Despite these forecasts, many cities in Asia-Pacific offer some of the least expensive five-star hotel stays in the world.
According to a Skyscanner survey conducted earlier this year, the cheapest five-star stays globally are to be found in Kuala Lumpur, with average per-night rates of US$127. Ho Chi Minh City, New Delhi and NCR, Manila, Bangkok and Mumbai also offer average five-star hotel rates of under US$200 per night.
