Marriott extends its footprint in Asia-Pacific

SYDNEY – Marriott International will add a total of 59 hotels to its Asia-Pacific portfolio through the end of 2010.

The new hotels will provide 18,160 rooms across five brands with multiple openings in Thailand, China and India.

This growth will add about a third more hotels and almost 50 percent more rooms to Marriott’s lodging presence in Asia-Pacific over the next 36 months.

Six new hotels in India and Thailand will represent the company’s Marriott Executive Apartments brand for extended stay travellers and its deluxe, upscale Renaissance brand. All six will operate under long-term management contracts.

Marriott Executive Apartments will open at Sukhumvit Park, Bangkok (2008) and Benchasiri Place, Bangkok (2010)

Renaissance Hotels & Resorts to open will be the 333-room Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprasong Hotel (2009), the 175-room Renaissance Phuket Resort & Spa (2010), the 278-room Renaissance Bangalore High Grounds Hotel (2010) and the 250-room Renaissance Bangkok Sukhumvit Hotel (2010)

These hotels join 53 previously announced properties that are now under construction and are expected to open during the same time period in China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and New Zealand

Twelve additional Ritz-Carlton properties are scheduled to open through 2010 in China, India, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macao and Indonesia.

“We are thrilled by our dynamic pipeline in the region,” said Ed Fuller, president and managing director of international lodging for Marriott International.

“Our ability to have so many hotels coming on line in Asia-Pacific over the next 36 months rests, in part, on the success that our existing portfolio is enjoying in the region. Each of our hotels in Asia-Pacific ranks at or near the top of its competitive set in customer preference, guest satisfaction and operating results.”

Fuller said that since the beginning of this year, Marriott International had signed 10 projects in Thailand alone.

“We’re excited by the fact that, with the three Courtyard properties and a Renaissance resort coming on line and joining our JW Marriott resort and our Marriott Vacation Club community in Phuket, we will soon be the largest international hotel operator in Asia’s premier resort destination.”

Marriott will have 11 hotels opened in Beijing in time for next summer’s Olympic Games and in the next three years it will open six new hotels in India.

The additions encompass three luxury JW Marriott hotels, a Ritz-Carlton hotel, two deluxe Renaissance hotels, one first-class Marriott hotel, eight mid-priced Courtyard by Marriott properties and one Marriott Executive Apartments facility for extended stay travellers.