Business
Marriott International will more than double the number of hotels in its portfolio in the Asia-Pacific region over the next few years.
Marriott currently has 132 hotels open in Asia, and it has deals in the pipeline now totaling an additional 143 properties.
The hotel group expects to have at least 265 hotels in the Asia Pacific by 2016, with more than 80,000 rooms in 16 countries.
“We are delighted with our growth in the region and believe it is a great testament to the popularity of our brands and the quality of our hotels in Asia that we expect to double in size by 2016,” says Simon Cooper, Marriott International’s President and Managing Director in Asia.
“We operate a strategically targeted brand portfolio, and our products clearly resonate with our guests, our hotel owners, and the communities in which we operate. We have seen great growth across our portfolio and expect to be launching new brands in the region soon, with the introduction of Fairfield by Marriott in India next year and the launch of our EDITION brand in Bangkok in 2014. We expect to grow dynamically but sustainably in Asia for many more years to come.”
Autograph Collection Debuts in Bali
Marriott International currently operates eight brands in Asia Pacific: Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, The Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott, Renaissance Hotels & Resorts, Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Courtyard by Marriott, Marriott Executive Apartments, and the recently launched Autograph Collection of hotels, which debuted in Asia with the opening of The Stones Legian, Bali in October 2012.
The hotel group sees tremendous growth potential targeting different market segments from luxury to mid-scale.
With 127 open and signed hotels in China, Marriott expects to open an average of one hotel per month in the country for the next five years. In India, 23 hotels with Marriott International’s brands are already under construction, and the company is likely to grow from 15 hotels to more than 50 hotels in the next few years.
“While China and India are the driving forces for our business in Asia,” Simon says.
“We are also seeing growth with new signings and openings in Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and elsewhere in the region. We see this as a golden age of travel around the world, and our Marriott hotels will be there to welcome all travelers.”
13 New Hotels in August
Across Asia, the hotel group signed a record-breaking 13 new hotel deals in August 2012 alone. These include a luxury Bulgari hotel in Shanghai, Courtyard by Marriott Amritsar, a Marriott resort in Dali, a Marriott in Hengyang, and a Renaissance hotel in Xuzhou.
Marriott already has a significant market presence in the key cities of Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong in Greater China. The hotel group is now entering other first and second tier cities across China. It is also adding more resorts to its portfolio.
Marriott is currently operating in 11 Chinese provinces and expects to be operating in an additional 13 provinces and regions by 2016.
Included are Hunan, Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, Sichuan, Anhui, and Macau, which represent an additional 32 Chinese cities.
Marriott International expects to have hotels in 24 of the 34 provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions. and special administrative regions in China by 2016.