Omicron Upends Asia’s Already Slow Reopening Plans
Skift Take
The rapid, explosive surge of Omicron cases around the world is weighing heavy on Asia-Pacific countries that were only just beginning to reopen their international borders. The latest variant once again puts those border reopening on ice — not ideal when the Winter Olympics is only weeks away.
Daily Lodging Report
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Sunday, Jan. 2Lotte Hotels & Resorts is seeking to add a four-star hotel in downtown Chicago, IL, said to be the Kimpton Hotel Monaco Chicago, to enlarge its U.S. hotel network and international profile to its IPO scheme. By adding the 190-room Kimpton, Lotte would be managing four hotels in the U.S., including the one in Guam.
Skift Note: True to its word, South Korea-based Lotte Group is beefing up its U.S. hotel presence.
Monday, Jan. 3Fitch Ratings said the emergence of Omicron will upend reopening plans for many tourist economies in South Asia and ASEAN. At this point we feel the worst thing a country or region can do is try to beat the surge. Many countries are also tightening restrictions for inbound travelers. Thailand really tried to do the right thing with r
