Marriott to double Caribbean footprint

Marriott International is planning to double its footprint in the Caribbean and Latin America over the five years, with over 35 new hotels already signed and an envisioned 140 hotels to be open or in the pipeline by 2017, which would also result in thousands of new job opportunities within the hotel group. Arne Sorenson, the new CEO of Marriott International, is expected to make the announcement at the Americas CEO Summit in Cartagena, Colombia, adding that the number of jobs at Marriott hotels in the region is expected to increase from 13,000 to 27,000 by the end of 2017. The company also said it expects to double its presence in Colombia with the additions of Marriott hotels in both Cartagena and Cali. This year’s hotel openings in the region showcase the company’s broad portfolio of top brands, including the first Ritz-Carlton Reserve in the Americas at Dorado Beach, Puerto Rico to the JW Marriott in Cusco, Peru and the Courtyard by Marriott at Mexico City Airport. The hotel group currently has 35 hotels signed and under development in the Caribbean and Latin America including The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba, The Ritz-Carlton, Panama City (Panama), JW Marriott Cusco (Peru), Port-au-Prince Marriott Hotel (Haiti) and the Renaissance Santiago (Chile).   By 2017, Marriott envisions its portfolio in the region rising to over 140 hotels and 30,000 rooms either opened or in the development pipeline. “Latin America is booming, in terms of economic growth and political and institutional stability, which is creating a promising business climate,” explains Mr. Sorenson, CEO of Marriott. “The rising middle class throughout the region is eager to travel to new places and do business on the road. Worldwide, we’re seeing a golden age of travel, and Latin America is at the forefront.  This, when combined with the strong performance and preference of our brands in the gateway markets, provides tremendous opportunity for Marriott’s world class brands and service.” “This is an exciting time for hotel development in Latin America; the growing regional demand and broadening market, combined with the lack of consistent domestic hotel product and service, represents a large opportunity to develop upscale branded hotels as well as multi-unit moderate tier development platforms with local partners in the region,” said Laurent De Kousemaeker, chief development officer, Caribbean and Latin American Region, for Marriott International. Marriott International currently has 69 hotels in 25 countries in the Caribbean and Latin America with nine of Marriott’s 18 brands currently represented in the region.