McIntosh made thecomment at a seminar on investment strategies held on Sept. 27 in HCMCity . He said the hotel sector has recovered very quickly afterthe global financial crisis. Growth in revenue per available room is atleast 20 percent higher than levels before the crisis.
Although the country's real estate market has come to a standstill,hotels in Hanoi and HCM City are still seeing strong growth inrecent years. This year, both Hanoi and HCM City saw roomrates rise by at least 5 to 10 percent against 2010, or a 15 to 20percent increase compared to 2009.
CBRE experts said thelower-end of the sector, which consists of cheap hotels, offered some ofthe greatest investment opportunities for canny investors.
Due to high interest rates on loans in Vietnam , three-star hotelspresented the best opportunity for investors looking for high returns.However, according to experts at CBRE Vietnam, cheap hotels needed toincrease their business efficiency.
Also at the seminar,experts from CBRE analysed various investment options in the hotelindustry, including developing Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) anddetermining the importance of management and consultation companiesduring construction of hotel projects./.