The Straits Times
www.straitstimes.com
Published on Mar 22, 2013
Hospitality Reits in for flat growth
Oversupply in hotel rooms, shorter average visitor stay partly to blame
By Cheryl Lim
INVESTORS in hospitality Real Estate Investment Trusts (Reits) have been warned to prepare themselves for a year of flat growth, given that Singapore's serviced apartments and hotel sectors are set to face challenges.
A report issued by OCBC Investment Research predicts that demand for the serviced-residence industry will likely remain unchanged while room rates for the industry will remain flat or decline.
It said this is partly due to the potential oversupply of hospitality accommodation due to hit the market over the medium term, which could ultimately impact Reits like Far East Hospitality Trust and Ascott Residence Trust.
OCBC estimates that the supply of hotel rooms is set to grow by 5.8 per cent a year between 2013 to 2015, outstripping the 5.4 per cent annual growth in demand for hotel rooms over the same period. The OCBC report also points out that the average length of stay per visitor is falling, partially owing to the strong Singapore dollar.
A recent report by Knight Frank made similar predictions but it expected the potential supply of hotel rooms will marginally weaken room and occupancy rates.
Mr Ian Loh, Knight Frank's director and head of investment, said: "With some 5,020 hotel rooms to be completed in 2013, we expect the occupancy rates to drop marginally but still remain above the 80 per cent mark."
Mr Loh also noted the labour issues the sector is facing, adding that the higher foreign-worker levies and lower dependency ratio ceiling will continue to pose challenges for the service-intensive sector.
He said: "Higher salaries and flexible working hours will have to be introduced to attract and retain service staff, which will add to the cost factor, particularly for upscale and luxury hotels which demand high-quality staff."
But he added that the hotel sector still has bright spots to look out for in the year ahead.
New attractions like the River Safari and the National Art Gallery are expected to maintain Singapore's allure as a global tourist destination.
The Singapore Tourism Board has also forecast that about 14.8 to 15.5 million visitors will visit Singapore this year, a jump of up to 7.6 per cent from last year's figure.
Mr Loh also added that Singapore's top visitor arrival markets - Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Australia and India - may provide more support to Singapore's tourism sector, as visitors trade more expensive long-haul destinations for cheaper flights within the Asian region.
cherlim@sph.com.sg