During the International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) in Cannes, France, Marriott International announced the launch of the Marriott International Luxury Brands group, which encompasses the St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, The Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, Edition, and JW Marriott brands. “Spanning the world from the most iconic hot spots to the ultimate undiscovered gems, the unmatched breadth and depth of our luxury portfolio uniquely positions us to cater to the increased demand of the rapidly-expanding cadre of affluent travelers,” says global brand officer Tina Edmundson. “With luxury travel up nearly 50 percent for the past five years, we see a long runway for growth at the high-end and have a world-class, dedicated luxury structure in place to nurture and strengthen this coveted portfolio of eight diverse luxury brands.”
Marriott International’s luxury traveler is multi-national, mobile, jet-setting, and is comfortable moving across the company’s luxury brands portfolio for business and leisure in search of authentic experiences deeply rooted in the destination. “Our guests’ approach to luxury is decidedly less formal, entirely more personal, and defined more by their interests and mindset than their geography and demographic,” says Edmundson. “They want to learn how to kite surf at The St. Regis Mauritius, discover cherry blossom season at The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto, drink bellinis on the terrace at the iconic Gritti Palace during the Venice Biennale, and go heli-skiing at W Verbier.” To appeal to them, Marriott International plans to add 30 luxury hotels in 2017 and has a total of 180 luxury hotels representing 20 new countries, from Cuba to Iceland and Nepal in its development pipeline, including:
- The Ritz-Carlton will expand with four new openings, including The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi and The Ritz-Carlton, Astana.
- St. Regis will debut new properties in five destinations, including Cairo, Changsha, and Shanghai.
- W Goa, which is set to open on Dec. 12, and W Hotels has six planned openings for 2017, ranging from Panama City and Shanghai to Tel Aviv.
- Edition recently premiered The Sanya Edition on Hainan Island in Southern China, which is the brand’s first hotel in Asia, and additional properties in Bangkok and Barcelona will open by the end of next year.
- The Luxury Collection will expand its footprint with properties in nine destinations, including California’s Napa Valley, Panama City, and Singapore, set to open next year.
- JW Marriott recently opened JW Marriott Venice and JW Marriott Los Cabos, and it plans to debut its first resort property—JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort & Spa—as well as JW Marriott Parq Vancouver by the end of next year.