188 hotels scheduled to open in May 2020 despite Covid19 [Infographic]

Staying strong in the face of Covid19, the hotel industry holds steady in May 2020 (Photo by Paulo Silva on Unsplash)

Despite Covid19, a total of 188 hotel openings are scheduled to take place in May 2020.

It’s true, Covid19 has hit the hotel industry hard around the world. However, that doesn’t seem to stop ambitious hoteliers and project developers from wanting to open their new properties on time or at least with minimal delays.

We find out where these properties will launch and which ones to keep an eye on.

Hotel openings by region in May 2020

188 are scheduled to open in May 2020, adding 41,445 rooms worldwide. 72 of these projects will be in the 5-star segment while the remaining 116 will be 4-star properties.

APAC is the fastest-growing region with 73 planned openings and 17,399 new keys. North America follows with 59 projects and 11,018 rooms. Europe comes in third place with 39 new hotels and 7,785 rooms. The Middle East, Latin America and Africa will see 13, 3 and 1 hotel open their doors respectively.

Hotel openings by country, city and brand

The United States and China top the list of fastest-growing national hotel markets with 49 and 36 openings each. With the US still battling coronavirus and getting stricter about lockdowns, it is unsure how many of these openings will be able to take place. In China, developers have reason to be more optimistic as the country is already seeing a growth in demand after loosening city-wide quarantines.

The UK, Germany and Thailand each had 16, 10 and 8 hotels in the pipeline for May 2020. With lockdowns and emergency measures in place in these countries as well, we can only wait and see to find out which of these properties will open and which ones will be postponed.

Assuming hotel launches will go as planned, London will welcome 9 new properties to its portfolio, Dubai will see 7 openings, Bangkok will get 4 and Shenzhen and Phoenix will both get 3.

Hilton takes the top three spots. Hampton by Hilton has 10 projects in its pipeline, Hilton Hotels & Resorts is slated to grow by 8 properties and Home2 Suites by Hilton will see 7 openings. IHG’s Hotel Indigo and the funky start-up Selina will both launch 5 hotels.

Noteworthy projects opening their doors in May 2020

In the UAE, the 800-room RIU Beachfront Resort & Waterpark Deira Islands will form part of a large-scale venture made up of four islands that will transform the district of Deira into a top tourism and entertainment site. It will include other major attractions such as a shopping mall, design towers, an amphitheatre for 30,000 people and a marina. Other components planned for the property include four swimming pools, a kids’ club, a spa and fitness centre, and a variety of restaurants.

The 700-room Grand Nikko Tokyo Bay Maihama will offer rooms overlooking Tokyo and give its guests a feeling of being in an urban resort. This new property will be the second Grand Nikko-branded luxury hotel in Japan, following the Grand Nikko Tokyo Daiba, which opened in July 2016.

The 600-room Park Regis Makkah is a remarkable property offering two hotels. Situated close to Ibrahim Al Khalil Street, the hotel will put guests within walking distance from the Haram plus the Grand Mosque in Makkah and many other attractions. The unique property will offer guests superb dining options as well as deluxe accommodation suitable for all types of travellers.