Dubai: US hotel chain Marriott International plans to expand its mid-tiered brand, Residence Inn, in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, according to Diane R Mayer, the brand’s vice-president and global brand manager.
Residence Inn, which has one property in Bahrain, expects to have two more properties in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia this year, which are expected to open in September and November respectively. Another property in Saudi Arabia is set to open in 2018.
Residence Inn could also enter the Dubai market, according to Mayer. Marriott International plans to have 10,000 rooms in the emirate by 2020 compared to 2,700 rooms today.
Mayer said that in the region ‘40 per cent of business travel demand is extended stay versus 30 per cent in the US’. She added that many visitors to the region go on long-haul flights, which encourages them to stay longer and ‘make the most of the expense and time for travel’.
Residence Inn has 20 hotels in the pipeline for the Middle East and Africa, which are likely to open in the next two to three years.
Globally, the brand is present in North America, Latin America and Europe. The company is considering an expansion to sub-Saharan Africa.
Residence Inn’s revenue touched $2.7 billion (Dh9.9 billion) in 2013, which is expected to grow by 5-8 per cent this year.
The Residence Inn properties, which are meant for longer stays, will be designed to cater to the local market, with larger rooms and more food and beverage options compared to other markets, Mayer said.
Residence Inn is one of other extended-stay brands by Marriott. Guests at the five-star Marriott Executive Apartments, for instance, stay for six months on average, while guests at the three- and four-star Residence Inn stay for two weeks on average.
Marriott Executive Apartments’ regional pipeline consists of five properties in the UAE and three properties in Saudi Arabia, which are likely to open by 2018.
Marriott International, which has 3,900 properties in 72 countries and territories, has seven of its brands in the Middle East.
The hotel chain recently acquired Protea Hospitality Group for $200 million. The South Africa-based hotel company has 116 hotels in seven African countries.
