Mingtiandi-Sponsored SEAHIS Event to Draw 300 Hotel Investors to Bangkok

Hotels were the only segment of Asia Pacific’s real estate market to see an increase in asset trades last year and a conference of hospitality investors happening in mid-June will explore the forces driving these deals.

SEAHIS, which is expected to attract more than 300 attendees in Bangkok on 10 and 11 June, has organised a series of panel discussions and presentations covering market segments from luxury to budget, and locations from Japan to India, to provide a forum for experts to debate the direction of the market.

In a session on Monday, 10 June, Mingtiandi founder Michael Cole will moderate a discussion between Gaw Capital Partners president and managing principal, Kenneth Gaw; SC Capital Partners chairman and founder, Suchad Chiaranussati and Kieran Bestall, a managing director with Ares Management Asia, as the trio of industry leaders preview the market outlook for the next 12 months.

The forum, which takes place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Bangkok’s Sukhumvit Road, is the seventh edition of SEAHIS, with more than 100 speakers set to take the stage in over than 25 sessions.

Top Investors Set to Meet

In their panel session at 12:00 noon on the 10th, Gaw Capital, SC Capital and Ares will examine the outlook for hotel investment in Asia, as investors grapple with higher interest rates and stricter lending conditions at the same time that hotel revenues rebound around the region.

While acquisitions of income earning real estate in Asia Pacific declined by 18 percent in the 12 months ending 31 March, deals for hotel assets increased by 12 percent, to total $118.5 billion during the period, according to MSCI Real Assets.

The three panelists joining the Mingtiandi-moderated session were major contributors to Asia Pacific’s upswing in hotel deals in recent months with Gaw Capital Partners having teamed up with KKR in mid-2023 to purchase the Hyatt Regency Tokyo for $409.3 million. The Hong Kong-based firm has also been active on the sell-side, having signed a deal with funds managed by CapitaLand for the $180 million sale of the Hotel G in Singapore during January.

SC Capital Partners in July last year led a consortium including Goldman Sachs Asset Management and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority in acquiring a portfolio of 27 Japanese hotels, with that $900 million deal ranking as Japan’s largest hotel transaction of 2023.

Japan Hotel REIT, a Tokyo-listed trust managed by SC Capital Partners, has also been active, acquiring a 170-room Yokohama hotel in December and the REIT has also reportedly been selected as the preferred bidder for a 1,053-key Hilton Hotel in Fukuoka.

Ares has been making acquisitions in the resort segment of the market, having recently closed on a property in the Maldives, with more deals potentially on the way under its Southeast and South Asia strategy.

More Top Speakers

In addition to the Mingtiandi-moderated panel, the first day of the SEAHIS programme includes a panel dedicated to the Japan market featuring Axe Management Partners chief executive and managing partner, Gary Kwok; Shirley Gu, a managing director with Blackstone Real Estate and Khun Suchad of SC Capital.

A highlight of the second day in the conference will be a panel on reinventing the mid-scale sector, with speakers from Worldwide Hotels, TriO Capital, Radisson Hotel Group and Ark Capital Partners.

Mingtiandi is a supporting organisation for SEAHIS 2024. More information on the event can be found here.