First read is on us.

Subscribe today to keep up with the latest travel industry news.

Singapore’s Ascott to Acquire Serviced Apartment Company Oakwood


Singapore-based Ascott is buying global serviced apartment provider Oakwood Worldwide from Mapletree Investments, increasing its global portfolio by 81 properties and about 15,000 units.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition is set to be completed in the third quarter of 2022, after which 8,500 Oakwood operational units are expected to immediately contribute to Ascott’s recurring fee income streams.

Ascott parent company CapitaLand Investment expects the acquisition to take the serviced apartment operator’s global presence to more than 150,000 units in about 900 properties across more than 200 cities in 39 countries.

With Oakwood coming onboard, Ascott is confident of achieving its target of 160,000 units globally ahead of 2023.

Following the acquisition, the new markets that would be added to the Ascott portfolio include Cheongju in South Korea; Zhangjiakou and Qingdao in China; Dhaka in Bangladesh as well as Washington D.C.

Mapletree acquired Oakwood in February 2017.

Other Ascott takeovers include Quest Apartment Hotels in 2017. In the same year, Ascott invested in Synergy Global Housing, a corporate housing provider in the U.S. In 2018, Ascott acquired Indonesian hotel operator Tauzia Hotel Management to enter the mid-scale business hotel segment.

Up Next

Tourism

What Are the Hardest Parts of Holiday Travel?

The holiday travel season is hectic both travelers and those in working in the industry, and here's a look at some challenging aspects of traveling for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Tourism

Japan’s Mount Fuji Overtourism Sparks Higher Visitor Fees

Yes, overtourism is a real issue in Japan! But whether the new entry fee will actually help with overcrowding depends on how it’s rolled out and how people react. Will climbers see it as a necessary step for preserving the mountain, or will it stir up backlash against overtourism policies?