Marriott ups the ante
Chain will open nearly 40 luxury hotels in 2018.
Marriott International is planning to open nearly 40 luxury hotels next year in an effort to target affluent travelers.
Marriott, the largest hotel company in the world after its purchase early this year of Starwood Hotels and Resorts, has eight luxury brands.
Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson had said one of the reasons for acquiring Starwood was to expand its global footprint. It plans to do so next year with its luxury brands.
The brands include The Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, St. Regis, W Hotels, The Luxury Collection, EDITION and JW Marriott. Marriott has a total of
31 brands that also include economy and midscale options.
The Ritz-Carlton already has 94 hotels in 31 countries. Next year, the brand will debut six properties, including one in China’s Jiuzhaigou Valley.
Existing properties such as The RitzCarlton, Berlin, and The Ritz-Carlton, Istanbul, will be renovated next year.
The Ritz-Carlton Reserve brand, which has three properties in operation, will add the Zadún, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Los Cabos, Mexico, to its portfolio.
St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, which has
42 hotels in 21 countries, will introduce new properties in destinations such as Cairo and Amman. The St. Regis Rome will also go through a renovation next year.
The W Hotel brand will reach 75 properties by 2020. Next year, the brand will get eight new hotels in cities such as Tel Aviv, Dubai, Panama City and Brisbane, Australia.
EDITION, the brand co-created with hotelier Ian Schrager, will reach 20 hotels by 2020. Seven new hotels are ex- pected to open next year. They will be located in: Shanghai, Bangkok, Barcelona, Abu Dhabi, New York, West Hollywood and Bodrum, Turkey.
The Luxury Collection of indepen- dent hotels now has 102 hotels in more than 30 countries. Next year, 10 properties will join the collection in locations such as Los Cabos, Mexico, Savannah, Ga., Vail, Colo., and Okinawa, Japan.
JW Marriott now has 79 hotels and resorts in about 30 countries. Scheduled openings for next year include locations in Nashville and the Maldives. Renovations are also in the works in places such as the JW Marriott Bangkok and Grosvenor House, a JW Marriott Hotel in London.
Several Ritz-Carlton brand hotels will be renovated next year, as well.