Eight years in the making, Hong Kong’s high-speed rail officially opened last month. The USD 11 billion project created the longest high-speed network in the world, connecting 44 cities in China to Hong Kong.

It’s forecast to ferry 80,000 passengers a day – including business travelers and tourists – in and out of Hong Kong.

Hotel rooms in Hong Kong were already in high demand. Overnight visitor arrivals from China to Hong Kong grew by over 6% in the first half of 2018 when compared to a year earlier, according to Hong Kong Tourism Board statistics.

And steadily-increasing visitor arrivals in Hong Kong have pushed hotel occupancy rates to all-time highs, with average daily rates following suit.

JLL predicts that Hong Kong’s revenue per available room (RevPAR), a common term to measure hotel performance, will grow by more than 12% this year, having already grown by a staggering 13% in the first half of the year, according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board.