Swiss-Belhotel International has announced ambitious expansion plans with a strategic focus on Central and Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. As part of the move, the group recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Odyssey Group to support its expansion in Japan.

Swiss-Belhotel International is looking at other asset management alliances globally to support its expansion and is presently negotiating more opportunities. This is a real pivot and change in the expansion approach by working with third-party asset managers and investment bankers.

Making the announcement just before the Arabian Travel Market, Mr. Gavin M. Faull, Chairman and President of Swiss-Belhotel International, stated, “We are well placed to take advantage of the growing confidence in travel and very excited to continue our global expansion with a strong focus on Central and Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. These regions hold enormous potential for our brands and are important growth markets for us. Today we are at 125 hotels and are aiming towards a healthy growth of 250 hotels by 2030. Working closely with our owners we have been successfully navigating the unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic and look forward to driving value to our owners, associates, employees, and guests through our diverse brands.”

As part of its robust expansion in Southeast Asia, Swiss-Belhotel International has recently set up a regional office in Thailand. The company is looking to capitalize on new opportunities in priority markets like Thailand and Vietnam where it has multiple hotel projects in advanced negotiations.

Mr. Faull added, “While we are particularly pleased with our progress in Thailand and Vietnam, Southeast Asia as a whole offers tremendous opportunity to expand our footprint further. Our collaboration with the Odyssey Group, which is one of Asia’s leading mid-market private market asset managers providing differentiated and bespoke investment solutions across multiple asset classes, is aimed at bolstering our expansion in Japan.”

As the travel market continues to recover, Swiss-Belhotel International is also looking to increase its presence in Africa with several deals under negotiation. “African countries are still underserved by branded hotel supply despite solid domestic demand. We are witnessing strong owner interest in our brands across Africa with many promising opportunities in the pipeline that we expect to finalise soon.”