Marriott plans to increase regional portfolio by 54% in three years

Dubai: The Marriott International Middle East lodging portfolio will increase by 54 per cent over the next 36 months as the company adds 16 hotels offering 3,515 rooms through 2010, the company announced yesterday.

The additions build on Marriott's pledge at the 2006 Arabian Travel Market (ATM) to increase its Middle East room supply by more the 250 per cent over five years.

"The tourism sector in the Middle East is expected to grow significantly over the next decade. We intend to share in this growth by offering a wide range of hotel choices for luxury, deluxe, upper moderate and extended stay travellers," said Ed Fuller, president and managing director of international lodging for Marriott.

"Recently the World Travel & Tourism Council predicted that tourism will claim about 10 per cent of all Middle East investment each year through 2016," he added.

"It is clear that local investors and developers have recognised that travellers prefer our hotel brands and that we have the strongest distribution channels and marketing muscle to virtually ensure a hotel being a success from Day One," Fuller added.

The Middle East growth is part of Marriott International's global strategy to increase its hotel portfolio by 85,000 to 100,000 rooms over the next three years with nearly a third of this growth coming from outside the US and Canada.

Half of Marriott International's new Middle Eastern hotel openings will be in the UAE. In 2009, the company will open and manage eight hotels in the UAE and will make its entry into Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah.

"When these eight hotels open in the UAE, the Marriott International lodging portfolio in the country will more than double in terms of properties and rooms," Fuller said.

Marriott properties coming up in the region

- 300-room Ras Al-Khaimah Marriott Resort & Spa.

- 248-room Sharjah Marriott Resort & Spa.

- 125-unit Marriott Executive Apartments Sharjah.

- 170-room JW Marriott Hotel Dubai Lifestyle City, owned by ETA Star Projects LLC.

- 152-room Courtyard by Marriott Dubai Lifestyle City, owned by ETA Star Projects LLC.

- 46-unit Marriott Executive Apartments Dubai Lifestyle City (MEA).

- 356-room Renaissance Dubai Motorcity, owned by Union Properties PJSC

- 250-room Courtyard by Marriott Dubai Motorcity, owned by Union Properties PJSC

- 190-unit Bahrain Marriott Executive Apartments (2007)

- 257-room Renaissance Doha Hotel (2008)

- 204-room Courtyard by Marriott Doha (2008)

- 123-unit Marriott Executive Apartments Doha (2008)

- 323-room Renaissance Bahrain Amwaj Island Hotel (2008)

- 300-room Renaissance Dubai Marina (2010)