Beijing: Hotel operator Marriott International Inc said on Tuesday it plans to more than double the number of its properties in Asia in the next four years.
Marriott said Tuesday it expects to add 143 hotels to its 132 properties in Asia for a total of more than 80,000 rooms in 16 countries. The company said its Asian workforce should grow by 36,000 people to a total of 76,000 by 2016.
“We have seen great growth across our portfolio and expect to be launching new brands in the region soon,” said Simon Cooper, Marriott International’s president and managing director in Asia, in a statement.
Marriott’s brands include Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott and Renaissance. The company reported $12 billion (Dh44 billion) in revenue in fiscal 2011. It has 3,700 properties in 74 countries and territories.
Global hotel brands are looking to Asia, and China in particular, to drive growth amid weakness in the world economy.
Hilton Worldwide Inc., France’s Accor SA, and InterContinental Hotels Group PLC all have announced plans to open multiple properties in China in coming years.
China and India are the “driving forces” for Marriott in Asia but the company also plans new hotels in Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam, Cooper said.
Marriott has 127 hotels open or under development in China and said it expects to open an average of one property per month over the next five years. In India, the company said it expects to grow from 15 hotels to more than 50 in the next few years.
