In Brief: The Asia-Pacific hotel development pipeline, excluding China, reached 2,684 projects and 473,560 rooms at the end of the third quarter of 2026, according to Lodging Econometrics. India accounted for 43% of projects in the regional pipeline, while early-stage planning, renovation activity and new project announcements increased from a year earlier.
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APEC Hotel Pipeline Reaches 2,684 Projects as India Leads Development in Q3 2026 – Image Credit Unsplash
Pipeline Reaches New Level
The hotel construction pipeline in Asia-Pacific excluding China, referred to as APEC in the Lodging Econometrics (LE) report, totaled 2,684 projects and 473,560 rooms at the end of the third quarter of 2026. Project count increased 19% from a year earlier, while room count rose 9%.
Hotels under construction accounted for 1,007 projects and 197,715 rooms, representing a 12% year-over-year increase in project count. Another 434 projects, with 73,905 rooms, are scheduled to begin construction during the next 12 months. That category rose 16% by project count from the same period in 2025.
Early-stage planning accounted for 1,243 projects and 201,940 rooms, with project count rising 26% year over year.
Upscale Segments Account for a Large Share
Upper-upscale and upscale hotels represented 1,208 projects and 226,302 rooms combined. Those two chain scales made up 45% of all projects and 48% of all rooms in the APEC pipeline.
The upscale category totaled 722 projects and 130,958 rooms. Upper-upscale hotels accounted for 486 projects and 95,344 rooms. The luxury segment included 454 projects and 83,990 rooms, while upper-midscale hotels represented 442 projects and 78,108 rooms.
India Remains the Main Development Market
India had the largest national pipeline in the region, with 1,165 projects and 153,801 rooms. The country’s project total increased 39% from a year earlier, while its room total rose 41%.
India represented 43% of APEC projects and 32% of rooms in the total pipeline. The country also contributed significantly to the increase in new project announcements during the quarter, particularly through smaller developments.
Vietnam had 279 projects and 86,192 rooms. Japan had 225 projects and 30,708 rooms, followed by Indonesia with 197 projects and 33,314 rooms. Thailand’s pipeline included 171 projects and 40,963 rooms.
Together, India, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia and Thailand accounted for 2,037 projects and 344,978 rooms, or 76% of projects and 73% of rooms planned across the region.
Bangkok and Indian Cities Feature Prominently
Bangkok had 71 projects and 16,750 rooms in its pipeline at the end of the third quarter. Bengaluru followed with 59 projects and 11,879 rooms, while Mumbai had 53 projects and 10,832 rooms.
Jakarta’s pipeline included 49 projects and 10,500 rooms. Jaipur had 45 projects and 7,794 rooms.
Announcements, Conversions and Openings Increase
New project announcements totaled 325 projects and 43,482 rooms during the third quarter. Announced projects were 44% higher than the 226 projects reported in the third quarter of 2025.
Renovation and brand conversion activity totaled 387 projects and 62,965 rooms, up 35% by project count and 19% by room count from a year earlier.
During the first nine months of 2026, 261 hotels with 32,299 rooms opened across the APEC region. An additional 137 hotels with 24,706 rooms are forecast to open by year-end, bringing the projected 2026 total to 398 hotels and 57,005 rooms.
For 2027, 401 hotel openings with 72,178 rooms are forecast. In 2028, 382 hotels with 59,819 rooms are expected to open.