Marriott International has announced record organic rooms signings in 2018, ending the year with a record global pipeline.
In 2018, the company signed management and franchise agreements for 816 properties, comprised of 125,000 rooms, while opening nearly 500 properties comprised of more than 80,000 rooms around the world across its portfolio of 30 brands.
“Marriott’s meaningful growth momentum across its portfolio of brands continued in 2018, as hotel owners increasingly turned to Marriott’s world-class teams, leading business platforms, unmatched global scale and captivating brands,” said Tony Capuano, Marriott global chief development officer.
“With the world’s largest pipeline of hotels, a growing loyalty base of 120 million members and a compelling value proposition to our partners, Marriott is positioned to fuel expansion further in 2019.”
As of December 31st, Marriott’s global footprint grew to more than 6,900 properties and more than 1.3 million rooms in 130 countries and territories, with Marriott brands making their debut in Finland, New Zealand, Lithuania, Mali and Ukraine.
The pipeline also grew to a record 478,000 rooms.
The year also delivered a new record for organic international room signings in Europe and Middle East and Africa, and for organic hotel signings in Asia Pacific, delivering a source of future growth in destinations where international travel is surging, and residents are increasingly joining Marriott’s unified loyalty program.
Luxury travel
In the industry’s highest tier, Marriott’s already leading luxury portfolio – consisting of brands such as The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, JW Marriott and EDITION – made remarkable strides in 2018.
The company signed 29 luxury properties consisting of 6,200 rooms across six brands, with visionary projects such as The Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai Hongqiao, a St. Regis in Dubai, and a three-brand luxury project in the Dominican Republic.
According to the latest STR data, Marriott’s luxury pipeline is larger than its next three competitors combined.