THE Singapore-headquartered subsidiary of Philippine-listed investment company DoubleDragon Corporation, Hotel101 Global Pte. Ltd. and affiliates, and JVSPAC Acquisition Corporation have entered into a definitive merger agreement on Monday, April 8.
Upon completion of the proposed business combination transaction, the combined entity is expected to be publicly listed on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol “HBNB.”
Hotel101 will have an equity value of US$2.3 billion following completion of the transaction, which is expected to close during the second half of 2024 subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals and other customary closing conditions.
Hotel101 is a hotel prop-tech operator pioneering a globally standardized, asset-light “condotel” business model.
DoubleDragon positions Hotel101 Global to become the first ever Filipino company whose majority-owned subsidiary to list via SPAC in the US Nasdaq Stock Exchange, and seen to become a major brand, concept and business model export of the Philippines, given its Asset-Light business model could become one of the major source of US dollar inflow to the Philippines.
This global “one room” hotel chain is poised to disrupt the tourism industry by offering identical, standardized hotel rooms around the world, creating what management believes to be unbeatable efficiency, simplicity, and value. Hotel101s are efficient to build, maintain, and operate – as well as to scale and expand through direct development, joint venture partnerships, and licensing.
The management believes that the Hotel101 platform is unlike anything available in any part of the world today: while it is similar to other short-term rental platforms because its inventory is generally owned by third-party individual condominium unit owners who can opt to list their unit on the Hotel101 platform, it is able to deliver consistency, security, and predictability for its guests, as well as arguably higher acceptance in the communities where it operates as all Hotel101 properties are purposely built as hospitality assets.
The global opportunity that management sees in the hospitality space is that of standardization, which management believes brings unbeatable efficiency, especially for the value segment.
In addition, Hotel101’s proprietary app adopts dynamic pricing for its room rates and is planned to offer self-check in, simplified by the availability of just one type of room.
Edgar “Injap” Sia II, chairman and CEO of DoubleDragon Corporation and founder of Hotel101, said: “With its unique and novel concept, we believe Hotel101 has significant potential to successfully expand globally. We expect this to have a network effect that will further elevate the brand and benefit all stakeholders within its ecosystem. The standardization of a Hotel101 room globally means that a customer knows exactly what to expect wherever they may be in the world. The management also expects this formula to result in creating sustained value for consumers globally.”
For her part, Hannah Yulo-Luccini, CEO of Hotel101, said: “Hotel101’s asset-light business model allows us to generate revenues twice: first from the pre-selling of strata-titled individual hotel units during the construction phase; and second, from the long- term recurring revenue derived from day-to-day hotel operations following completion of the units.”
“Building on the success of our business model in the Philippines – where we have several operating properties and a number under development – and our ongoing international expansion to Japan, Spain, and the U.S., we believe that a NASDAQ listing will provide Hotel101 with access to public capital markets and help accelerate our global expansion plans,” she added.
Albert Wong, chairman of JVSPAC Acquisition Corporation, said: “Today marks a significant milestone towards the successful completion of the business combination between JVSPAC and Hotel101. We sought out a partner that aligns with our vision and are confident that this merger will position us for long-term success. We are pleased to work with Hotel101 and believe its unique business model and the track record of its founders will be a disruptive force in the hospitality industry. We are honored to be part of their journey and be the ones introducing their business to the public capital markets.”
By building properties at scale – what management believes to be roughly five times the size of other branded 3-star hotel chains – Hotel101 can offer its guests amenities that go well beyond what management believes to be the typical offering in the value segment. These amenities usually include in-room kitchenettes, pools, gyms, business centers, all-day dining, function rooms, 24/7 front desks, and children’s playgrounds – features that other mid-tier players do not typically provide.
Outside of the Philippines, Hotel101 has broken ground in Madrid, Spain to construct a 680-room property located in the Valdebebas area beside IFEMA Convention Complex, the Real Madrid Complex and the upcoming new F1 Grand Prix Track. Another 482-room property, Hotel101-Niseko, is under construction in Hokkaido, Japan; and a site has been secured in Los Angeles, California to build the first Hotel101 in the US.
Hotel101’s long term vision is to have one million rooms, operating in over 100 countries worldwide.
As a first step, Hotel101 has identified the first 25 priority countries for expansion: the Philippines, Japan, Spain, the US, United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, India, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Mexico, South Korea, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Turkey, Italy, Germany, France, and Saudi Arabia./PN
