Marriott International has big plans ahead: in the next five years the company will increase its portfolio in the region by 50%, debut additional brands, and add 30,000 new jobs.

With ambitious plans for the Middle East and Africa, Marriott International signed more than 30 properties and over 5,000 rooms in the last 12 months. It will increase its portfolio in the region by more than 50% in the next five years – amounting to more than 80,000 rooms across 21 brands including the introduction of EDITION, Element and AC Hotels.

Marriott expects to add around 30,000 new jobs across its portfolio, in line with the company’s development plans.

“The industry is thriving more than ever”

Regarding the plans, Alex Kyriakidis, president and managing director, Middle East and Africa, Marriott International commented: “It is a really exciting time for the Middle East and Africa region’s travel and tourism sector.

“With clear and ambitious visions set out by regional governments to grow and invest in the sector, the industry is thriving more than ever. At Marriott International, we are proud that we and our owners are opening a huge range of jobs, as well as contributing to the ongoing growth and diversification of the region’s economy.”

The announcement of Marriott’s growth plans in the region comes ahead of the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference, which centred its 2018 theme on “Focus on the Future”.

During the annual event, Kyriakidis will join the “Regional Leaders in the Hot Seat” panel session to discuss how hotel operators are supporting owners and adjusting to a maturing and shifting regional market.

“Marriott International’s growth in the region is a result of consistently delivering value to our owners. Our long-established presence in the region, global footprint, a compelling portfolio of diverse brands, award-winning loyalty programs and strength of our distribution platforms continue to position us at the forefront, enabling us to leverage trends to benefit our stakeholders in the region,” added Kyriakidis.

“Marriott International’s growth in the region is a result of consistently delivering value to our owners”

“We remain focused on working with our owners to identify synergies and increase efficiencies across hotels by implementing shared services, remote solutions, complexing of hotels where relevant and possible and by bringing state-of-the-art technology to leverage scale, ultimately improving profitability.”

The Middle East and Africa present immense development opportunities for Marriott to strengthen its position in the market and its growth plans reflect a high demand for its various brands.