Marriott International announced recently a plan to build five hotels for its newly established Middle East & Africa Region, including its first properties in Algeria, Ghana and Morocco as part of its expansion program, aside from the 44 previously announced properties providing 10,800 rooms in the region. The hotels are scheduled to open under long-term management contracts over the next 36 months and represent the company's Marriott Hotels & Resorts and Marriott Executive Apartments brands. The properties announced will add 1,126 rooms to Marriott International's previously announced Middle East & Africa development pipeline of 44 hotels and 10,800 rooms now under construction or in advanced planning. In Saudi Arabia alone, Marriott has lined up 10 new hotels to be built in 2011-2014, they are: the 200-room Riyadh Courtyard (2011); the 250-room Jeddah Courtyard by Marriott King Road (2011); the 350-room The Ritz-Carlton Hotel and Executive Residences, Riyadh (2012); the 250-room Jeddah Courtyard by Marriott Mall of Arabia (2013); the 88-unit Jeddah Marriott Executive Apartments (2013); the 220-room Jubail Courtyard by Marriott (2013); the 250-room JW Marriott Hotel Riyadh (2014); the 50-unit Marriott Executive Apartments Riyadh (2014); the 250-room Damman Marriott (2014); and the 50-unit Marriott Executive Apartments Damman (2014). Simultaneously, Marriott International said its newly formed Middle East & Africa Region will be headquartered in Dubai, effective immediately under its new Chief Operations Officer Mark Satterfield, currently area vice president for the United Kingdom South & Ireland, based in London. His appointment is effective Dec. 1, 2009 and he will be based in Dubai. Jean-Marc Grosfort has been named chief development officer for the region. Grosfort's appointment is effective immediately and he will continue to be headquartered in Paris. Opening between now and year-end 2015, these new properties will boost Marriott's Middle East & Africa's regional presence to more than 70 hotels across six lodging brands totaling nearly 20,000 rooms in 12 countries. The portfolio includes JW Marriott and The Ritz-Carlton hotels in the luxury tier; Marriott Hotels & Resorts and Renaissance Hotel properties in the upscale segment; Courtyard by Marriott in the moderately-priced tier and deluxe Marriott Executive Apartments for extended stay travelers. “The opening of our new regional headquarters in Dubai recognizes the dynamic nature of tourism in the Middle East and the emergence of Africa as a viable destination for business and leisure travel,” said Ed Fuller, president & managing director of international lodging for Marriott. “The Middle East appears to have weathered the global economic storm and we're beginning to look forward to rising occupancies through the end of this year into next. With its diverse cultural and historic attractions, unique geography and the industry's changing travel patterns, we expect the Middle East and Africa as a whole to play an increasingly important role in the future.” Fuller said the strong pace of Marriott's development pipeline shows long-term confidence in the region, “especially since this growth is occurring in the context of the difficult global economy and tight credit markets. “The hotels joining our portfolio are a testament to the recognized power of our brands to deliver results even under challenging conditions and to the success our existing hotels are enjoying in the region.”
