Marco Polo plans major Asian growth

Marco Polo Hotels has unveiled plans to significantly increase its portfolio over the next five years, with new hotels in mainland China driving the company’s growth. The Hong Kong-based company currently operates 13 hotels in Hong Kong, mainland China, the Philippines and Thailand. But the expansion drive will add a further nine hotels to the company’s Asian portfolio, expanding Marco Polo’s total collection by 70% to 22 properties. The expansion will start in 2014 with the opening of at least two hotels – the 271-room Marco Polo Changzhou, in eastern China’s Jiangsu province, and the 316-room Marco Polo Ortigas in Manila. And over the next five years it will add a further seven properties to its portfolio, including midscale and upscale hotels in the mainland Chinese cities of Chengdu, Guiyang, Wuxi, Chongqing, Tianjin, Changsha and Suzhou. Marco Polo also announced plans to launch a completely new brand in 2014, which it said would target “the next generation of discerning travellers”. “Marco Polo Hotels has a longstanding reputation for sustainable growth within Asia Pacific’s prime real estate locations, so the development of such a large-scale expansion strategy was always going to be well-considered and carefully formulated. Following five years of planning, we are now beginning to see the fruits of our labour and are confident of the continued success of the group both here in Hong Kong and on the mainland,” said Eric Waldburger, president of Marco Polo Hotels. “The impending launch of a new brand within the group’s portfolio is an exciting new venture and a very different offering to our current brand. We are optimistic that its unveiling next year will further cement our reputation as one of the leading hotel groups in Asia and introduce our hotels to a whole new generation of travellers,” he added. Further information about the new brand is expected to be unveiled at a later date. Source: Travel Daily