Hilton Group Plans 4 Waldorf Astorias in China – and more of Today’s China Real Estate Links | June 14, 2013

Here is a list of the day’s latest China real estate news collected from around the web:

• Hilton Group Plans 4 Waldorf Astorias in China

  Hilton Worldwide announced that the company’s expansion in Asia Pacific through its luxury brands, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts (Waldorf Astoria) and Conrad Hotels & Resorts (Conrad), will firmly focus on strategic property openings and extending personalized service offerings.

  With a combined total of 16 new properties in the pipeline for Asia Pacific, the growth is set to reinforce Hilton Worldwide’s vision to become the fastest growing and most innovative hotel company.

  With 12 new Waldorf Astoria branded properties in its global pipeline, Hilton Worldwide will open five of these in Asia Pacific by 2017, adding to its current flagship property in the region, the Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund.

• Danger Maps Pinpoints China Pollution Hotspots

  As pollution concerns rise in China, Liu Chunlei is boosting environmental awareness among the nation’s 564 million Internet users with help from the charitable arm of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (ALIBABZ).
  Danger Maps, a website Liu started last year, allows people to look up sites such as toxic-waste treatment facilities, oil refineries and power plants. Liu has plotted about 6,000 pollution sources based on government data and user input on Baidu Map, China’s equivalent of Google Maps.

• Blackstone Gets Initial Pledges for Asia Real Estate Fund

  Blackstone Group LP (BX), the world’s biggest manager of alternative assets, has $1.5 billion of capital commitments for its first Asian property fund, targeted at $4 billion, according to a letter sent to investors.
  Blackstone held a first close on the Asia real estate fund on June 7, according to the letter sent yesterday. The New York-based company said it plans to begin investing the money immediately. The firm will focus on China, India, Australia and Japan, a person with knowledge of its plans said in December.

• Hong Kong’s New Rules Hamper Sales

  Sales of new homes in Hong Kong are expected to hit a record low in May following the implementation of new rules governing the residential sector, according to the latest report from Knight Frank.

  The Residential Properties (First-hand Sales) Ordinance came into effect at the end of April and it requires vendors to regularly update and maintain marketing materials relating to the sale of residential property.

• C&W Says APAC Real Estate Investment Grew 50 Percent

  The regional investment volume from Cushman & Wakefield of US$109.8 billion in the first quarter grew 50.2% compared to the last quarter of 2012 and is 22.9% higher from the same period a year ago, with investments into both core and emerging markets increasing.

  According to recently released Capital Markets MarketBeat reports by Cushman & Wakefield total first-quarter investments into core countries more than doubled from the fourth quarter last year, but was about stable when compared to the same period last year at just 7% higher. In contrast, investments into emerging markets totalling US$22.6 billion, which were up by more than a fifth from the last quarter of 2012 but on a year-on-year basis, volumes were up by over 30% from a year ago. Emerging markets has seen a step-up in activity, largely traceable to the uptick in the sales of development land sites.

This list is updated daily, so tune in again tomorrow for more up to date information.