HONG KONG—Marriott International is continuing to grow its presence overseas. The company said it will open six hotels in Asia this month from its Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott brands. The company’s growth of The Ritz-Carlton brand will debut openings in Chengdu, Tianjin, and Bangalore this month, while its JW Marriott brand will open hotels in Hanoi, Bangalore, and Delhi.
With 186 hotels in its signed pipeline, more than 135 of which it expects to open in the next three years, Marriott expects to more than double in size in Asia through 2016, reaching at total of 330 hotels with more than 96,000 rooms across 16 countries. During this time the company expects to open on average one hotel in the continent every eight days.
“This is an exciting time for Marriott as we join with our local hotel development partners in contributing to Asia’s future growth,” said Arne Sorenson, president and CEO, Marriott International. “Our explosive expansion across the region reflects the popularity of our brands in Asia with owners and customers alike, and with a hotel opening almost every week across the continent we will be poised to welcome travellers from the world over.”
Marriott already operates a broad portfolio of brands in Asia—Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, The Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott, Renaissance, Autograph Collection, Marriott Hotels, Courtyard, and Marriott Executive Apartments—and sees tremendous growth potential across all brands in the portfolio targeting different market segments. The company expects to open 50 hotels under its flagship Marriott Hotels brand alone in the region during the next few years.
Marriott is also adding to its brand portfolio in Asia, with the introduction of Fairfield by Marriott into India just last week, and the expected arrival of EDITION into Bangkok in 2016. Fairfield is a significant new brand launch for the company, with 12 hotels signed for India, and additional properties under construction in Indonesia and Nepal.
To meet this growth, Marriott expects to add more than 41,000 new educated and trained associates in Asia, doubling its current workforce in the region to more than 80,000 associates between now and 2017—with half of this number in China alone. To support its need for qualified staff Marriott International has invested in programs that support youth education through its own Marriott Institute of Hospitality in Anhui. The Marriott Foundation has also invested $6.5 million to support for China’s youth through the Marriott China Hospitality Education Initiative (CHEI). The company also runs educational programs in other countries in Asia, including the Mahindra Pride School organization in India which offers on-the-job training at its hotels to youth from disadvantaged communities in the country.
“We continue to see this as a golden age of travel around the world,” said Sorenson, “and our hotels are there in increasing numbers to welcome travellers. In the process, we are opening doors to a world of opportunity for our guests and associates alike, by offering great careers to our associates in China and across Asia, delivering rewarding guest experiences across our growing brand portfolio in the region, as well as providing great investments for our hotel owners.”
