Sun Group’s Ruby Beach development is set to add about 7,000 hotel rooms in its first phase, as Phu Quoc prepares for APEC 2027 and a larger role in international business events.
The Phu Quoc hotel pipeline is moving towards its APEC 2027 deadline, with Sun Group reporting progress across a 17-tower development at Bai Dat Do, also known as Ruby Beach, in the south of the Vietnamese island.
In an update dated 9 October, the developer said the complex was expected to provide around 7,000 rooms initially. Subsequent phases could increase the total to around 20,000. These figures describe planned capacity, rather than rooms already trading.
Phu Quoc hotel pipeline advances beside the convention centre
Sun Group said the towers planned for JW Marriott Marquis and W Hotels had reached their 22nd and 32nd floors respectively. Both were targeting topping out by the end of November 2026.
The accommodation is being developed alongside the APEC convention and exhibition facilities. Sun Group’s stated longer-term ambition is to connect hotel capacity with air access, transport, conference venues and leisure attractions to support meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions after the summit.
International brands deepen their Vietnam pipeline
Sun Group and Marriott International exchanged strategic cooperation documents in New York on 23 September. According to Sun Group’s subsequent announcement, the companies will assess further opportunities in destinations including Phu Quoc and Da Nang, using management, franchise and branded-residence models.
That announcement identified JW Marriott Marquis, W Hotels, Le Méridien and The Luxury Collection among the brands Marriott plans to manage at Ruby Beach.
The relationship also includes a deal announced on 23 March for 10 hotels and resorts across Phu Quoc and Vung Tau. At that time, Sun Group described a programme of nearly 4,500 rooms, with openings expected between 2026 and 2030. That wider portfolio spans both destinations and includes projects with different delivery schedules.
Demand beyond APEC will determine performance
The pace of development brings the island’s ability to absorb new supply into focus. In its 14 October report, Skift cited CBRE’s assessment that occupied room-night demand would need to grow by about 10 per cent annually through 2030 to maintain current occupancy as supply expands.
That is a demand requirement, not a forecast that the growth will be achieved. APEC provides a concentrated period of activity, while the commercial performance of the new hotels will depend on bookings across subsequent seasons.
An operating challenge for hotel teams
For owners and operators, the practical implication is that construction timetables and operating plans need to develop together. Pre-opening recruitment, departmental training and group-handling procedures will need to support both the summit period and the properties’ everyday guest mix.
The people-planning question extends beyond staffing a high-profile event. Management teams will need to match service standards and payroll commitments to sustainable demand, while building the sales capability to attract conferences and leisure guests after APEC.
For Phu Quoc’s hospitality employers, readiness in 2027 will therefore involve the systems and teams needed to keep the new capacity commercially viable over the longer term.
Sources: Sun Group construction update, 9 October 2026; Sun Group’s business-events development plan, 23 September 2026; Sun Group partnership update, 28 September 2026; Sun Group and Marriott development agreement, 23 March 2026; Skift, 14 October 2026.
