HONG KONG—Marriott International Inc.’s select-service brands are driving its expansion in the Asia-Pacific region this year.
With a diverse portfolio of 21 brands—seven are select-service brands with hotels open or under development, including Fairfield by Marriott, Courtyard by Marriott, Four Points by Sheraton, Aloft, Moxy, Element and AC Hotels—this tier is leading the rapid expansion of Marriott International’s footprint in Asia-Pacific with most rooms signed in 2017, and the momentum continues into 2018, according to the brand.
“Travelers will have more choices in new and exciting travel locales, especially in second- and third-tier cities, without ever having to compromise on the brand quality and service excellence that is the hallmark of Marriott International worldwide,” said Peggy Fang Roe, chief sales and marketing officer, Asia-Pacific, Marriott International. “The select-service portfolio is picking up momentum in key markets, including Greater China, India and Indonesia. There’s also strong potential in South Korea, Australia, Japan and Southeast Asia.”
The Courtyard by Marriott brand recently opened the Courtyard by Marriott Changsha and the Courtyard by Marriott Tianjin, growing the brand’s presence in second- and third-tier Chinese cities, with additional openings in Zhengzhou, Shanghai and Chengdu slated for 2018. In China, there are now 19 Courtyard hotels open with another 38 in the signed pipeline.
In Singapore’s Novena healthcare hub, the October opening of the Courtyard by Marriott Singapore Novena marked the brand’s debut in the city-state. Courtyard is poised to venture further into Southeast Asia’s emerging markets with the opening of the Courtyard by Marriott Siem Reap Resort. Scheduled for an early 2018 opening, the resort will be the first for the brand in Cambodia and will feature The Upper Deck, a rooftop bar overlooking Angkor Wat. It will be followed by the opening of the Courtyard by Marriott Phnom Pehn, during the second half of 2018. Signings of Courtyard by Marriott hotels in Nha Trang, Vietnam, and Yangon, Myanmar, are also in the pipeline and forecasted to open in 2018.
Four Points is positioned to expand in the Pacific region next year with the expected openings of the Four Points by Sheraton Auckland, the first Marriott International property to open in New Zealand, and the Four Points Sydney Central in the second half of 2018.
Next year should also see the Four Points brand charter to new frontiers, including a first for the brand in Vietnam with the Four Points by Sheraton Danang. The brand is also scheduled to open its second in South Korea—the Four Points by Sheraton Seoul, Gangnam.
Fairfield by Marriott, a classic-select brand celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, is spearheading the current growth in the region. In the Asia-Pacific region, the opening of the Fairfield Nanning Nanhu Park marked the debut of the Fairfield brand in Greater China—the first of 100 hotels expected to open in Greater China over the next five years as part of an exclusive development agreement between Marriott International and Dossen International Group. There are eight more Fairfield hotels scheduled to open in China in 2018, including the Fairfield by Marriott Guangzhou Tianhe Park and the Fairfield by Marriott Hangzhou East.
The brand is also expanding in South Asia, primarily in India where it currently has five properties with recent openings in emerging destinations including Amritsar, Coimbatore and Indore, and soon plans to expand its portfolio with the opening of the Fairfield by Marriott Agra scheduled in 2018. Marriott’s Fairfield pipeline in India now numbers 14 signed hotels including a multi-unit transaction of five hotels recently signed, all of which are slated to open in 2018. The opening of the Fairfield Kathmandu in May at the heart of the main tourist hub, Thamel, marked Marriott International’s first hotel into Nepal.
Fairfield will make its brand debut in South Korea with two openings, the Fairfield by Marriott Seoul, the largest Fairfield by Marriott hotel in the world with 553 rooms, and the Fairfield by Marriott Busan Haeundae, both scheduled to open summer of 2018. A second Fairfield by Marriott in Busan, in the Songdo district, is expected to open in 2019.
In the region, there are 12 Fairfield hotels open and the company is targeting to triple its footprint by 2019, according to the brand.
This year, Aloft Hotels made its debut in Australia with the Aloft Perth in May and in Indonesia with the Aloft Jakarta Wahid Hasyim in November. Openings slated for 2018 include the Aloft Shanghai Zhangjiang Haike and the Aloft New Delhi Aerocity.
Moxy, another distinctive-select brand by Marriott, debuted in Asia-Pacific this year with the opening of the Moxy Bandung in Indonesia in October, as well as the openings of the Moxy Tokyo Kinshicho and the Moxy Osaka in Japan in November.
Elsewhere, Element Bali (Indonesia) and Element Xiamen Haicang (China) are slated to open its doors in 2018.
With the signing of the AC Hotel Tokyo this past October, AC Hotels is scheduled to debut in Asia when the hotel opens in 2020. Another AC hotel is planned for Shenyang, China, and is expected to open in 2020.