Marriott International Inc. has opened The Westin London City, its 1,000th hotel in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). The property (pictured above) also marks the debut of the Westin Hotels & Resorts brand in the U.K. market.
As the company celebrated this milestone, it also revealed that across 2022 and 2023, it expects to add more than 200 properties, which equates to 38,000 rooms, in EMEA.
“I’m very proud of reaching 1,000 Marriott International hotels across EMEA,” said Satya Anand, president, Marriott International, EMEA. “This growth milestone is symbolic of our rich history and bright future, and it feels fitting that our 1,000th property is a fantastic Westin in London. Last year alone, we opened nearly 90 properties across EMEA, including brand debuts in destinations such as Ibiza [Spain], Reykjavík [Iceland] and Cairo, as well as additional openings in established markets such as London and Dubai. I am excited to further enhance our portfolio, bringing even more unique travel experiences to our guests, and look forward to continuing to drive value for our owners and franchisees through our world-class brands, comprehensive business support systems and our industry-leading loyalty platform, Marriott Bonvoy.”
Select-service spearheads growth in Europe
Marriott’s select-service brands, such as AC by Marriott, Moxy Hotels, Courtyard by Marriott, Residence Inn by Marriott, Aloft Hotels, Element Hotels and Four Points by Sheraton, continue to spearhead growth across Europe, accounting for more than 50% of the company’s current signed pipeline of hotels in the Europe region. Moxy Hotels is slated to add more than 26 additional hotels to its portfolio in the region between 2022 and 2023, with planned openings including the Moxy Liverpool City Centre (U.K.), Moxy Paris East and Moxy Pompeii (Italy).
Set to make its European debut in 2023, Fairfield by Marriott is expected to see two hotels open next year—the Fairfield by Marriott Badhoevedorp Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and Fairfield by Marriott Copenhagen Nordhavn (Denmark).
The extended-stay segment remains resilient in Europe, especially with the rise of multi-purpose travel. Last year, the company opened four Residence Inn by Marriott hotels across Europe and plans to extend its reach with 15 more Residence Inn by Marriott hotels expected to open in city hotspots like Naples (Italy), Vienna and Paris across 2022 and 2023.
Conversions continue to be an important driver of rooms growth across Europe, particularly from independent hotels, given the appeal of Marriott’s distribution systems. Conversions represent approximately 30% of the expected hotel openings in Europe across 2022 and 2023, and owner interest remains high for the company’s robust portfolio of collection brands—Autograph Collection Hotels, The Luxury Collection and Tribute Portfolio.
Luxury booms in the Middle East
Luxury hotels and residential properties continue to be in high demand with consumers, especially across the Middle East, representing more than 20% of the company’s signed pipeline units in the region. This year’s highly anticipated openings include W Dubai – Mina Seyahi, slated to open this month, and in May, the company expects to introduce The Ritz-Carlton brand in Jordan with the opening of The Ritz-Carlton, Amman.
The company also continues to support the growth of the tourism sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with four luxury hotels expected to open across 2022 and 2023. Planned additions include two luxury hotels at the highly anticipated Red Sea Project including The St. Regis Red Sea Resort. Qatar is also expected to see the addition of four luxury hotels, including the Palais Vendôme, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Doha and The Doha EDITION.
Marriott also continues to see growth in the branded residential sector in the Middle East, heralding a new era of residential luxury. The company recently opened W Residences Dubai—The Palm, which features 104 homes spread over eight mansions, and expects to add four more branded residential projects in the Middle East across 2022 and 2023, including The Residences at The St. Regis Marsa Arabia Island, The Pearl Qatar.
Continued expansion across the African continent
The recent signing of the JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge in Kenya is expected to mark the brand’s debut in the country and in the luxury safari space, reinforcing Marriott’s commitment to the African continent.
The company expects to open more than 20 hotels in Africa across 2022 and 2023. Among these are six Protea Hotels by Marriott properties, including the 200-room Protea Hotel by Marriott Accra Kotoka Airport in Ghana and Protea Hotel Fire & Ice! by Marriott Polokwane in South Africa. The expected openings across the region also include five Four Points by Sheraton hotels, marking the brand’s debut in Rwanda with the Four Points by Sheraton Kigali and the brand’s expansion in Nigeria with the addition of Four Points by Sheraton Ikot Ekpene.
“As we emerge from the global pandemic, we continue to see strong owner demand for Marriott’s portfolio of 30 trusted hotel brands,” said Jerome Briet, chief development officer, Marriott International, EMEA. “With a growing base of global Marriott Bonvoy members who are adapting to changing travel requirements in order to enjoy those all-important breaks away, we believe the future of travel is bright. We look forward to continuing to work with our owners and franchisees to develop more exciting projects in gateway cities, resort areas and locations where our customers aspire to travel.”
