In 2019 alone, the company expects to add close to 100 new hotels or close to 20,000 rooms in the region, with several brand debuts in Australia, Hong Kong, The Philippines, Nepal and India
Marriott International has announced its 2020 vision for the Asia-Pacific region – an aggressive target to have 1000 hotels open by the end of 2020.
In 2019 alone, the company expects to add close to 100 new hotels or close to 20,000 rooms in the region, with several brand debuts in Australia, Hong Kong, The Philippines, Nepal and India. Marriott International’s portfolio in Asia Pacific currently encompasses over 710 properties in 23 countries and territories, operating under 23 of the company’s 30 global brands.
In its announcement the company pinpointed China, India and Southeast Asia as its growth drivers in the region, in a strategy to capitalise on global travel trends in China, India, and Indonesia, three of the world’s four most populated nations.
More than 300 Marriott hotels are in the pipeline in China alone – a country with a burgeoning and powerful middle class – accounting for more than 50 percent of the company’s pipeline in Asia Pacific.
This year, Marriott International plans to open more than 30 hotels in China, including the first JW Marriott Marquis Hotel in China, the 515-room JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Shanghai Pudong featuring six food and beverage outlets; and the first Renaissance Hotel in the Fujian province with the planned opening of Renaissance Xiamen Resort & Spa in the fourth quarter of 2019. Outside of mainland China, the St. Regis brand is set to debut with the opening of St. Regis Hong Kong located in the historic Wanchai district.
With its recent 100th Marriott International hotel milestone celebrated in 2018, India – another populous country with a robust economy and rising middle class – continues to be the company’s second fastest growth engine in Asia Pacific with more than 50 properties in the pipeline.
Marriott expects to reach more than 30,000 rooms open in India by end 2023.
According to Marriott, the country is experiencing growing demand for its upper upscale and luxury portfolios, and the company expects to debut the Tribute Portfolio brand in India, with the opening of Port Muziris, Kochi, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel slated for the second quarter of 2019.
In Southeast Asia, there are over 140 signed hotels in the pipeline, with Indonesia leading growth and the company expecting to more than triple its hotel portfolio in the Philippines by 2023. Sheraton, Marriott International’s most global brand, recently debuted in the country with the opening of Sheraton Manila Hotel.
Closer to home, 50 hotels are anticipated to be open by 2020 in the Pacific, with several brand debuts coming to Australia in the next few years including The Luxury Collection and The Ritz-Carlton. The Tasman, a Luxury Collection Hotel, expects to open in Hobart in late 2019, and the 205-room The Ritz-Carlton Perth is slated to open in June 2019. Element Hotels, Marriott International’s eco-conscious brand, is expected to debut in Australia with the opening of Element Melbourne Richmond in Q3 this year.
Earlier this year, Marriott introduced Marriott Bonvoy – Marriott International’s travel program replacing Marriott Rewards, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards, and Starwood Preferred Guest(SPG).