The deal to create the world’s largest hotel company could be concluded on Friday after Chinese antitrust regulators finally given the green light to the Marriott-Starwood mega merger.
The merger cleared its last hurdle after official approval by China’s ministry of commerce this week.
The ministry last month extended its review period for the merger by up to 60 days, although it did not present any anti-competitive issues in China itself.
The planned $13.6-billion merger has already been approved by regulators in dozens of countries including the US and the European Union, Canada, Mexico, India and Japan.
It will create the world’s largest hospitality group with a combined 1.1 million rooms under management.
