Marriott to add 20 hotels across Middle East, including conversions

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• New-build developments joined by adaptive reuse properties
• Developers look to convert existing buildings into hotels

Marriott International will add more than 20 hotels and 5,000 rooms in the Middle East over the next 15 months.

Announcing its expansion plans at the Future Hospitality Summit in Dubai this week, the hospitality group said its growth is fuelled by ongoing demand for its portfolio of hotel brands across Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, and increased appetite from developers for conversions and adaptive reuse properties.

While much of its growth in the region is through new-build developments, Marriott said there is also interest in the adaptive reuse space, where developers are looking to convert existing buildings into hotel accommodation.

Over 30 percent of the anticipated property additions are expected to come from conversions and adaptive reuse projects.

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Chadi Hauch, regional vice president of development for Marriott in the Middle East, said: “We’ve developed a conversion-friendly platform that enables existing properties to quickly and cost-effectively access our world-class sales, distribution, and loyalty platforms to meet owner and guest demands.”  

Marriott’s current portfolio within the Middle East includes more than 150 properties in 11 countries with 40,000-plus rooms across 21 brands.

Planned openings include six additional properties slated to open in Saudi Arabia by the end of 2023. 

The St Regis and Edition hotel brands will debut in the kingdom and Nujuma, and the first Ritz-Carlton Reserve in the Middle East will open in the Red Sea Project. 

In Qatar, Marriott is planning 10 anticipated additions, six of which are slated to be unveiled ahead of this year’s FIFA World Cup. 

These include Edition Hotels, Delta Hotels by Marriott, Element Hotels, Autograph Collection Hotels and The St. Regis Marsa Arabia Island, The Pearl.

In the UAE, upcoming additions in Dubai include Marriott Resort Palm Jumeirah and Four Points by Sheraton Production City.

In Kuwait, the St. Regis and Marriott Executive Apartments are expected to open by the end of 2023, while Marriott’s Aloft Hotels wil make its debut in Oman.