September 10, 2009
HONG KONG (AFP) - Hotel group Marriott International announced Wednesday it was planning 21 new hotels in Asia, despite the impact of the global economic slowdown on travel and demand.
The company already has 37 hotels under construction across the region, meaning that it will have built 58 new hotels by 2013, creating an estimated 24,000 jobs.
"We are excited by these spectacular, architecturally interesting additions to our already dynamic Asia-Pacific pipeline especially since this growth is occurring in the context of the difficult global economy and tight credit markets," said Ed Fuller, president of international lodging.
"We see Asia as an exciting, dynamic market that we have continued to focus on since the start back in 1989."
The 58 hotels now under development will add more than 16,000 rooms to Marriott’s Asia-Pacific portfolio, bringing the company’s presence in the region to 154 hotels offering 51,500 rooms in 18 countries by the end of 2013.
The 21 newly announced hotels include two luxury JW Marriott hotels in China, 10 Marriott hotels in China, the Philippines and Thailand, two Renaissance Hotels in China and seven Courtyard hotels in Cambodia, China and India.
Marriott International entered the Asian market with the opening of Hong Kong's JW Marriott 20 years ago.
