Marriott opens 800th property in Asia, aims for 50 more this year even as Covid-19 pandemic keeps hotels shuttered
- The US-based hotel operator plans to open between 40 and 50 new hotels in Asia-Pacific this year, and 100 next year even as the travel industry reels from coronavirus
- A fifth of the group’s Asia-Pacific hotels outside China remain closed, down from half at the height of the health crisis
A fifth of Marriott International’s hotels in Asia-Pacific outside China remain closed as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the travel industry.
Though the number is now much smaller than the 50 per cent that were shuttered at the height of the outbreak, it illustrates the industry’s struggle against a pandemic that has crippled global travel and reduced people’s spending power.
“I’d say about 50 per cent of hotels in Asia closed at one point,” said Craig Smith, Marriott’s group president, Asia-Pacific. “We don’t have any hotels closed in mainland China, and probably 20 per cent of hotels outside China are closed.”
This has not stopped Marriott, which has 30 brands including St. Regis, Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott and Le Meridien, from opening the new 158-room JW Marriott Nara, about 500km south of Tokyo, on Wednesday. It is the group’s 800th hotel in the region, and its 50th in Japan.
The US-based hotel operator is aiming to open between 40 and 50 new hotels this year, and 100 next year.
Currently domestic travel, “staycations”, and millennials – who appear to be more willing to travel despite coronavirus risks – are fuelling the recovery of the hotel segment.
“We remain confident in the resilience of travel, our owners and franchisees, guests and associates as well as the future prospects of lodging in Asia-Pacific, our second-largest market,” Smith said. “We are encouraged by recent trends, especially in China, where demand has been driven primarily by domestic tourism, and we will continue to focus on strengthening our footprint in this important, growing market.”
