BETHESDA, Md.—At the America’s Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) in Los Angeles, Marriott International Inc. announced that it had the fastest-growing new-construction pipeline in the industry, worldwide, in 2013, based on information published by Smith Travel Research. In addition, Marriott reported that it signed more than one hotel project per day in 2013, totaling a record 387 hotels and 67,000 rooms. The company opened nearly 26,000 new rooms in 2013 and, given its strong pipeline, expects new hotel openings to accelerate in 2014 and 2015.
In 2013, Marriott increased its total development pipeline by over 30 percent. At year-end 2013, Marriott had more than 195,000 rooms under development across five continents, compared to 176,000 rooms at the end of the third quarter and 143,000 rooms just a year ago. At year-end 2013, the company’s global pipeline included 72,000 hotel rooms under construction, 83,000 rooms signed but not yet under construction, 11,000 rooms awaiting conversion to one of Marriott’s brands, and 29,000 rooms for projects that have been approved for development but not yet signed.
Fueling this success is Marriott’s lineup of 18 brands, including its luxury and lifestyle portfolio, which accounts for nearly 25 percent of the company’s overall pipeline.
“Our luxury and lifestyle portfolio of 438 hotels across nine brands is robust,” said Arne Sorenson, president and chief executive officer of Marriott International. “The Ritz-Carlton is recognized as one of the world’s most iconic luxury brands and is expanding outside the U.S. At the same time, we are rapidly growing new brands such as Edition, Moxy Hotels, AC Hotels by Marriott, and Autograph Collection, all brand innovations that position us well with customers looking for a different type of experience.”
