Staying Competitive as Asia’s Hotel Market Shifts

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In this video:

• Asia’s hotel market remains 80% unbranded, but a generational handover from founding owners is driving more independent properties toward global brand partnerships.

• Conversions, soft brands, and franchise models help owners grow top-line revenue by 15% to 20% while easing operational demands amid increasingly competitive market conditions.

• Mid-scale and economy segments now account for roughly 70% of new development, fueling fierce competition among global operators expanding beyond their traditional premium strongholds.

Watch this Conversation

While most hotels in North America and Europe carry a global brand, the opposite is true in Asia, where independent and family-run properties still dominate the supply. This gap presents a major opportunity for large operators, who have responded by rolling out conversion-friendly brands, soft brands, and collection brands, and by introducing franchise models in markets where they previously held back.

At Skift Asia Forum 2026, Andrew Langdon, chief development officer at Accor, sat down with Carolyn Kremens, Skift’s president, to discuss how Asia’s hotel landscape is undergoing a structural transformation. Watch the full conversation here.

A key driver of the shift is generational. Many family-owned hotels built by a first generation of operators are now being passed to second- and third-generation owners who lack the same appetite to run the property themselves. Facing a far more competitive market than their parents did, these owners are turning to global operators for distribution, loyalty, and operational expertise. Langdon compared the resulting partnerships to marriages — long-term contracts of 15 to 20 years that depend on mutual respect and trust to weather inevitable challenges.

Competition among global operators has reached unprecedented intensity, particularly in the mid-scale and economy segments where most net unit growth now occurs. Accor signed nearly 11,000 keys across Asia last year, with 70% in mid-scale and economy. As American competitors push down-market into Accor’s heartland, owners are benefiting from more flexible fees and richer financial terms — making this, in Langdon’s view, an opportune moment to sign a deal.

Explore the full Skift Takeaway from this session, and discover insights from across Skift Asia Forum 2026. Then dive into our exclusive interview with Langdon on the forces reshaping Asia’s hotel market.

This content was created collaboratively by Accor and Skift’s branded content studio, SkiftX.