In less than two years, Marriot has signed 24 hotels, and one-third is in the luxury segment, said area vice president for South Asia, Ranju Alex, in an interview. “The one thing we have noticed after the pandemic is that people want to spend on luxury. They want experiences, when they travel, and they want luxury. We see a very strong footprint of Marriott in the luxury segment and our launch of the St. Regis Goa has been a huge step towards it this year," Alex added.
St. Regis Hotels and Resorts is one of the 30 hotel brands operated by Marriott International Inc.’, the American hotel management company.
The property, formerly The Leela Goa, is its second deal this month. It entered into a partnership with Ceres Hotels Pvt. Ltd to run the hotel, which has 206 rooms. This is the second St. Regis’s hotel in India, after Mumbai. “Airlines have increased rates. Aircraft are full and the load is about 105% as compared to 2019 in terms of domestic travel, while international load is close to 100%. People are definitely having a propensity to pay. People are not just staying but celebrating in hotels a lot more. We have seen a huge surge in weddings in our hotels and a lot of social gatherings," she said.
Marriot India’s business had recovered to pre-covid levels but there was scope for growth in the international business. “We are hoping that will happen by December as it is looking good for our hotels.“
After the Omicron wave, its business recovered in April. “That was why the occupancies and average daily rates of rooms bounced back by May-June," she added.
In July, Marriott International, also signed an agreement to bring five new hotels to Jharkhand and West Bengal. The company said these properties will open over the next 2-4 years with local partner BeeKay Group. The agreement is expected to add about 700 rooms to its existing portfolio of over 26,000 rooms in India and 134 hotels. India has about 150,000 branded hotel rooms.
The hotels will be launched in Ranchi, Asansol, Maithon and Deoghar under The Le Méridien, Courtyard by Marriott and Fairfield by Marriott brands. It will add 200 hotels to its portfolio in India by 2025 with over 3,500 rooms.
Its India portfolio comprises 16 brands with 63 hotels catering to the select service hotels, such as Courtyard, Fairfield, Four Points and Aloft, while 29 are in the luxury space under brands such as The Ritz-Carlton, W Hotels, The St. Regis, JW Marriott, Luxury Collection (ITC) hotels. Besides, 42 hotels are in the premium segment under the Sheraton, Le Meridien, Renaissance, Marriott Hotels, Marriott Executive Apartments, Westin and Tribute Portfolio brands.
It is also working on bringing the Moxy brand to India. It operates 30 brands globally.
