Hilton’s Asia Pacific Playbook: China vs. Japan vs. India
Photo Credit: The Waldorf Astoria Osaka. Hilton Hotels and Resorts
Skift Take
Hilton is following the money, not the hype, even if that means telling eager owners in some markets that their “cool” lifestyle hotel can’t beat a dependable DoubleTree.
Hilton is busy across Asia Pacific, but the pace isn’t the same everywhere. At the moment, Japan stands out as the region’s most profitable market. India is shaping up to be the company’s long-term bet. And China, once Hilton’s growth engine, is now in a holding pattern even as developers continue to build.
“The best yields for today are in Japan,” Alan Watts, President, Asia Pacific for Hilton, told Skift. With the yen still weak and demand running high, Japan is delivering the strongest returns per room across the company’s APAC system. “Fees per room are the most lucrative in Japan,” he said.
Japan’s maturity as a hotel market is part of the story. Most of the country’s hotel supply is already in place, land prices are steep, and construction costs have climbed high enough to make new builds rare. That leaves conversions and focused-service hotels as the next opportunities. Hilton is leaning into both, taking advantage of a period where
