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| Amelia Lim |
HONOLULU, HAWAII, Feb. 29,
2016 – Nearly 80 investors, owners, operators, asset managers, hotel brands and
lenders from Shanghai, Osaka, Madrid and from across the mainland U.S. gathered
in Hawaii to attend an invite-only event at the iconic Royal Hawaiian Hotel on
January 28, hosted by CBRE Hotels in Hawaii.
The symposium, See the
World of Ho‘okipa, Hospitality in a Whole New Light, provided an unprecedented
view of Hawaii’s hotel fundamentals relative to the broader global context, the
impact of debt and equity capital on Hawaii’s lodging sector, and performance
forecasts for 2016 and 2017. The conference featured a heavyweight line up of
the world’s preeminent hospitality executives.
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| Yvonne Siew |
“This symposium showcases
CBRE Hotels’ comprehensive suite of services, spanning transaction, debt and
structured finance, valuation, strategic advisory, asset management and
research. Hawaii is rich with opportunities in the hospitality sector, and the CBRE
platform in Hawaii is structured as a full-service provider to groups seeking
to capitalize on these opportunities,” said Amelia Lim, Vice President of CBRE Hotels, Valuation and Advisory
Services, Hawaii.
“CBRE has the depth of
market knowledge and strength of relationships with decision makers in Hawaii
that can only come with living and working within the community for an extended
period of time.
 |
| Mark Woodworth |
“The synthesis of CBRE’s
intensive market penetration in Hawaii with our global platform and access to
international capital markets creates a very powerful value proposition for our
clients.
“We are the perfect
solution for offshore investors and capital sources making forays into Hawaii’s
hospitality sector, as well as for local hospitality firms seeking to expand
their global reach.”
Meanwhile, Yvonne Siew, Executive Director and
Head of International Capital at CBRE China, explained that the strong dollar
is the lure of investing in the U.S., especially since the renminbi outlook is
anticipated to depreciate another 5 percent in 2016.
“I’m in touch with the
major insurance companies and State Owned Enterprises (SOE) with specific
mandates to invest in U.S. assets,” Siew said.
“The strong dollar versus the
local Reminbi is perceived by the Chinese as a form of investing into safe
assets. Hawaii is very much open to foreign capital. We see this as a great
opportunity for Chinese capital.”
Siew noted that Chinese
construction companies, railway and infrastructure groups are concerned the
local outlook in China will not give them the growth and profits, so investors
are looking for investment and marketing opportunities abroad.
 |
| Kevin Mallory |
Those
opportunities could be in tourism, oil or gas investments. Siew said that
according to reports, if 3 percent of the high net worth individuals in China
moved just 7 percent of their wealth out of their country, it would add up to
$1.5 trillion in U.S. dollars.
Forecasting presentations
from CBRE Hotels’ leaders Kevin Mallory and Mark Woodworth kicked off the
event, followed by a panel discussion with four industry experts about the
future growth of hotel spending and investment, including Chinese interests in
Hawaii, the ramifications of Airbnb’s exponential growth, as well as regulatory
compliance, expanding interest rates and the impact of the rising cost of debt
on investment strategy.
For a complete copy of the company’s news release,
please contact:
Kimberly K. Lord (B)
+1 808 541 5170
