Swiss-Belhotel International Limited (“Swiss-Belhotel International”) and Odyssey Asset Management Limited (“Odyssey”) have signed a Joint Venture Agreement for Odyssey to identify attractive hospitality opportunities to allow Swiss-Belhotel International to expand its Asian hospitality portfolio in Japan and other Asian countries over.
Swiss-Belhotel International’s stronghold in the Asian markets over the last 34 years allow for the Group to establish itself across Japan and offer services that are appealing to local Japanese and international travellers alike.
Mr. Gavin Faull, Chairman and President of Swiss-Belhotel International said: “This is an exciting development and we are delighted to partner with a well experienced asset management group, Odyssey Asset Management. Our commitment towards hospitality is reflected in our determination of our global expansion plans, and with Odyssey, we are even more confident on achieving our goals. We are excited to expand to newer territories with our unique proposition of a winning partnership philosophy, working hand-in-hand with Owners and Investors to achieve the desired business objectives. Swiss-Belhotel International has plans to double the number of hotels under management to 300 by 2025. Our partnership with Odyssey is part of this aggressive expansion plan.
Odyssey’s Co-Founder and CEO, Alex Walker, said “We are pleased to be able to partner with Swiss-Belhotel International and to help them further expand their extensive Asia Pacific hospitality portfolio into Japan and across the Asia Pacific region. Odyssey’s expertise in the Asian hospitality real estate market and Swiss-Belhotel International’s desire to provide high-quality hospitality experiences for their guests, complement each other. Our mutually shared principles and dedication to providing value and quality lay the foundation for future shared success. Odyssey is confident that with the expertise and experience of Swiss-Belhotel International together with their proven brand standards will be well received by the Japanese and Asian hospitality sector.”
The number of developers and existing building owners in Japan are eager to partner with international hospitality groups like Swiss-Belhotel International and leverage their brand quality, service offering and international capability for an ever-growing domestic market with huge potential for international growth after Covid-19 recovery.
With the deployment of Covid-19 vaccines and expected reopening of borders, tourism is poised for recovery. According to JLL’s poll of 100 investors in January 2021, approximately 70% are bullish on the long-term prospects of the Asia-Pacific hotel industry, despite ongoing Covid-19 pressures on the tourism and hospitality sectors*. As optimism around recovery builds, Southeast Asia is one of the most desirable hotel investment markets in Asia-Pacific, owing to strong demand dynamics and positive long-term fundamentals.
Swiss-Belhotel International is a global hotel management group with 125 hotels and projects in 19 countries. The Group includes a diverse portfolio of 16 Brands, each with its own brand standards, serving all types of Hospitality assets catering to varied audiences from luxury to economy. With the developing landscape and changing expectations of the market of Southeast Asia, the Group feels that it has a perfect match with 4 of its brands as listed below:
∙ Maua - a high-end sustainable retreat focusing on eco-friendly offering
∙ Bohemia - a chic and luxurious lifestyle brand
∙ Swiss-Belhotel - the mother brand, suited to city style business hotels
∙ Zest - a very practical design-specific brand providing real value for money
The Odyssey Group is one of Asia's leading private market asset managers providing differentiated and bespoke investment solutions across multiple assets, including real estate, private equity and alternative credit. Odyssey’s Japan team specialises in identifying, acquiring and managing Japanese hospitality real estate assets. Odyssey has cultivated a trusted network of Japan-based partners, consultants, contractors and service providers and leverages more than just typical brokerage relationships with teams spread throughout Japan that have access to off-market opportunities from individual buyers, private real estate groups and private auction houses.