Marriott International, Inc. celebrated the opening of The Westin London City, the company’s 1,000th hotel in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, during a ceremony in London on June 1. (EMEA). Designed to perfectly mix London’s always-on energy with the wellness promise for which the Westin brand is recognized, the property also serves as the brand’s first entry into the United Kingdom.
As part of its celebration of this milestone, the firm also revealed that it aims to add more than 200 hotels, totaling 38,000 rooms, throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Africa between 2022 and 2023, as part of its expansion strategy.
“I’m quite pleased to have reached the milestone of 1,000 Marriott International properties across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Because our 1,000th property is a beautiful Westin in London, we believe it is appropriate that we have reached this growth milestone in honor of our illustrious past and promising future “Satya Anand, President, Marriott International, EMEA, shared his thoughts.
“In just one year, we launched approximately 90 properties throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, including brand premieres in locations like as Ibiza, Reykjavik, and Cairo, as well as further openings in established areas such as the United Kingdom and Dubai.
I am looking forward to expanding our portfolio and providing our guests with even more unique travel experiences. I also look forward to continuing to create value for our owners and franchisees through our world-class brands, comprehensive business support systems, and our industry-leading loyalty platform, Marriott Bonvoy.”
European Growth Is Led by Select-Service Companies
Hotel select-service brands such as AC by Marriott, Moxy Hotels and Courtyard by Marriott, as well as Aloft and Element Hotels, and Four Points by Sheraton, continue to be the driving force behind the company’s rapid expansion in Europe. These brands account for more than half of the company’s current signed pipeline of hotels in the region.
In the coming years, Moxy Hotels, Marriott’s bold and experiential hotel brand created for the young at heart, will add more than 26 new properties to its portfolio in the region, with planned openings including the Moxy Liverpool City Centre (UK), Moxy Paris East (France), Moxy Pompeii (Italy), and more (Italy).
Fairfield by Marriott is slated to launch two hotels in Europe next year, the Fairfield by Marriott Badhoevedorp Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (Netherlands) and the Fairfield by Marriott Copenhagen Nordhavn (Denmark). Fairfield by Marriott is set to make its European debut in 2023. (Denmark). Owners from all across the area are becoming interested in the brand because of its effortlessly relaxing and efficient hotel design, which is combined with a modern Northern European aesthetic and functionality.
In Europe, the extended-stay category has shown to be particularly robust, especially in light of the growing popularity of multi-purpose travel. The firm built four Residence Inn by Marriott hotels throughout Europe last year and hopes to expand its footprint with the opening of 15 more Residence Inn by Marriott hotels in major hotspots such as Naples (Italy), Vienna (Austria), and Paris (France) in 2022 and 2023.
Because of the attractiveness of Marriott’s robust distribution channels, conversions continue to be a significant driver of room expansion throughout Europe, especially among independent hotels. Approximately 30 percent of the projected hotel openings in Europe in 2022 and 2023 will be conversions, and owner interest in the company’s extensive portfolio of collection brands – including the Autograph Collection Hotels, The Luxury Collection, and Tribute Portfolio – continues to be strong.
The Middle East is experiencing a luxury boom.
Luxury hotels and residential properties continue to be in great demand with customers, particularly in the Middle East, with the area accounting for more than 20% of the company’s signed pipeline units in the region as of December 2017. The W Dubai – Mina Seyahi, which is scheduled to debut in April 2022, is one of the most widely awaited launches this year, and the business hopes to introduce the Ritz-Carlton brand in Jordan with the opening of The Ritz-Carlton, Amman in May of this year.
The corporation also continues to promote the development of the tourist industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with the opening of four luxury hotels scheduled in 2022 and 2023, among other projects. Two luxury hotels, including The St. Regis Red Sea Resort, are planned for the highly anticipated Red Sea Project, which is now under construction. Furthermore, four luxury hotels are slated to open in Qatar between 2022 and 2023, including the magnificent Palais Vendôme, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Doha, and The Doha EDITION.
In addition, Marriott continues to observe development in the branded residential sector in the Middle East, signifying the beginning of a new age of luxury living in the region. Branded homes are well-positioned to adapt to changing lifestyles and to fulfill the increasing demand from homeowners for on-demand facilities and services from well-known companies.
This year, Marriott opened the W Residences Dubai – The Palm, which includes 104 residences spread across eight mansions. The company also plans to open four more branded residential projects in the Middle East in the following two years: the St. Regis Marsa Arabia Island and The Pearl Qatar, both of which will open in 2022 and 2023.
Continued Expansion Throughout the Continent of Africa
As a result of the recent signing of the JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge in Kenya, it is projected to be the brand’s first foray into the country and into the luxury safari market, further demonstrating Marriott International’s commitment to the African continent.
The business plans to open more than 20 hotels throughout Africa between 2022 and 2023, according to the company’s estimates. Six Protea Hotels by Marriott hotels are included on the list, including the 200-room Protea Hotel by Marriott Accra Kotoka Airport in Ghana and the Protea Hotel Fire & Ice! by Marriott Polokwane in South Africa.
These establishments will provide visitors with a sense of the local flavor in an authentic manner. Five Four Points by Sheraton hotels are expected to open in the region, marking the brand’s debut in Rwanda with the Four Points by Sheraton Kigali and the brand’s expansion into Nigeria with the Four Points by Sheraton Ikot Ekpene. The Four Points by Sheraton Kigali will be the brand’s first property in Rwanda, and the Four Points by Sheraton Ikot Ekpene will be the brand’s first property in Nigeria.
According to Jerome Briet, Chief Development Officer of Marriott International, EMEA, “as we emerge from the worldwide pandemic, we continue to see strong owner demand for Marriott’s portfolio of 30 reputable hotel brands.” “We think that the future of travel is bright, thanks to a growing base of worldwide Marriott Bonvoy members who are adjusting to evolving travel needs in order to enjoy those all-important getaways.
We look forward to continue to collaborate with our owners and franchisees to build additional new projects in gateway cities, resort regions, and other destinations where our clients have a strong desire to go in the future.”
