Marriott International has outlined plans for expansion in the Middle East and Africa over the next decade, with 21 properties set to open in Saudi Arabia alone by 2025.
The group currently operates 150 hotels in the region across nine brands and in 19 countries, with 17 new properties set to open this year.
A 300-suite Marriott Executive Apartments property (pictured below) will open in Doha in 2019, and the group also aims to expand into eight new territories by 2025, namely Iraq, Gabon, Rwanda, Tunisia, Benin, Kenya, Libya and Mauritius.
Marriot says it has set “a clear objective to be represented in all major gateway cities, commercial centres and established resort destinations” in the region, and is targeting 245 hotels with nearly 44,000 operating and signed rooms by 2020.
Last year Marriott announced plans to bring its Residence Inn brand to the UAE in 2019, with the 135-unit Residence Inn by Marriott Al Jaddaf (see news October 22, 2015).
Mark Caswell
