Marriott expanded in India

Marriott International is looking to expand its Indian portfolio to more than 50 hotels and more than 30,000 guestrooms within the next three years.

According to Arne Sorenson, president and CEO of Marriott International, the hotel group set this new goal to accommodate the growth both in India's middle-class incomes and domestic tourism. “Out of that total, 15 will come up this year,” Sorenson told The Hindu. The company currently has more than 100 hotels in India, the second country in Asia with this inventory total.
 
Marriott is in talks to develop another 50 hotels in the country, which are currently at the preliminary stage. Marriott is looking into opportunities "in micro-markets or Tier-I and Tier-II cities," according to Neeraj Govil, AVP, South Asia, Marriott. However, Govil told The Hindu, "demand is also growing for Marriott's upscale and luxury brands. The company, for instance, currently has three Ritz-Carlton projects under development in Pune, Mumbai and New Delhi." The group is coordinating with owners to open hotels under several Marriott brands, mainly in the upper-midscale, upscale and luxury segments, in Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Kerala.

Marriott currently has more than 20,000 Marriott International guestrooms open under 15 brands in 32 cities across India. In a statement, the company said that it currently employs 30,000 people in its hotels, but it expects another 3,000 employees will be hired in 2018.

Marriott has several select-service properties set to open in India by 2019, with five Fairfield by Marriott hotels planned for Amritsar, Coimbatore and Indore. Another 14 Fairfield properties are in the pipeline, six of which are scheduled to open in 2018, including the upcoming Fairfield by Marriott Agra.