Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

Travis Lundy

HK Type 4 license through Ballingal Investment Advisors Ltd. ("BIA" or "BIAL")

BACKGROUND
I have 20+yrs experience in Asia doing alternative strategies (i.e. non-delta1 non long-only) in fixed income, equity derivatives, and activist/catalyst/event-driven and long-short equity strategies with most of that time spent managing money. 

4 years in fixed income macro, 8 years running internal hedge fund and 4yrs investment banking at Citi in Japan, 3 years running an Asia multi-strat portfolio at a hedge fund, 4+yrs as an independent special situations analyst.

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Quiddity Advisors

Event-Driven

<p>Late Tuesday 16 March 2021, the Nikkei carried an article which said that today <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/imperial-hotel-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:18742:1" rel="noopener">Imperial Hotel (9708 JP)</a> had decided to renovate its flagship hotel Imperial Hotel Tokyo in Uchisaiwaicho, Tokyo, on the eastern side of Hibiya Park and just off what used to the southern extension of the imperial palace moat.</p><section class="figure"><figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/194/803/original/953px-Imperial_Hotel_Tokyo.jpeg?1615895144" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="194803"></figure><div style="text-align: right;" class="content-caption">source: Kakidai, 29 Jan 2012 (own work)</div></section><p>This is the third iteration of the Imperial Hotel after the the last one, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1922, replacing Yuzuru Watanabe's beautiful structure built in 1890, was taken down in 1967. The current version opened in 1970 and has stood for more than 50 years.</p><p>The article said that the company had decided to rebuild the hotel in line with ongoing redevelopment in the area, since the existing facilities were aging. The goal is to make the Imperial Hotel a central part of yet another "branded" prime location in Tokyo. An announcement is expected this month. The company <a href="https://www.imperialhotel.co.jp/j/company/pdf/20210316.pdf#zoom=100" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> late in the evening that the news shown in the media was not released by them, and while they are considering rebuilding the hotel, nothing has been decided yet. </p><p>The article says that the 31-story mixed use tower next to the current hotel will be rebuilt by 2030 and the main hotel asset will be rebuilt by 2036. </p><p>In the first nine months of this fiscal year, revenue has dropped by 62% - a dramatic drop to be sure - but not surprising given the lack of inbound tourists. The hotel has started renting out serviced apartments for those who think it would be cool to WFH in in a prime central location. </p><p>For those who are keen observers of that area of Tokyo, this is a long-awaited development. </p><p>And it behooves one to think of the possibilities. One significant possibility in my mind is that Imperial Hotel does not remain independent. </p>

Late Tuesday 16 March 2021, the Nikkei carried an article which said that today Imperial Hotel (9708 JP) had decided to renovate its flagship hotel Imperial Hotel Tokyo in Uchisaiwaicho, Tokyo, on the eastern side of Hibiya Park and just off what used to the southern extension of the imperial palace moat.source: Kakidai, 29 Jan 2012 (own work)This is the third iteration of the Imperial Hotel after the the last one, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1922, replacing Yuzuru Watanabe's beautiful structure built in 1890, was taken down in 1967. The current version opened in 1970 and has stood for more than 50 years.The article said that the company had decided to rebuild the hotel in line with ongoing redevelopment in the area, since the existing facilities were aging. The goal is to make the Imperial Hotel a central part of yet another "branded" prime location in Tokyo. An announcement is expected this month. The company announced late in the evening that the news shown in the media was not released by them, and while they are considering rebuilding the hotel, nothing has been decided yet. The article says that the 31-story mixed use tower next to the current hotel will be rebuilt by 2030 and the main hotel asset will be rebuilt by 2036. In the first nine months of this fiscal year, revenue has dropped by 62% - a dramatic drop to be sure - but not surprising given the lack of inbound tourists. The hotel has started renting out serviced apartments for those who think it would be cool to WFH in in a prime central location. For those who are keen observers of that area of Tokyo, this is a long-awaited development. And it behooves one to think of the possibilities. One significant possibility in my mind is that Imperial Hotel does not remain independent. 

NTT (Nippon Telegraph & Telephone) (9432 JP)

Imperial Hotel (9708) - Redevelopment Might Hide an LBO Story