[photopress:hotels_loong_bar_Marrioott_Beijing.jpg,full,alignright]Following the opening of two Marriott hotels in Beijing and Shanghai, Marriott has said that it intends to develop another 30 hotels in China before 2010.
The new 23-story, 588-room JW Marriott Hotel Beijing is said to be the 3,000th hotel of the group. J. W. Marriott Jr., the 76-year-old chairman of Marriott International, which claims to be the world’s largest hotel group, said Marriott would operate 11 hotels in Beijing by the opening of the 2008 Olympics. Another 20 Marriott International-branded hotels will be launched in by 2010. Marriott will increase the number of hotels it operates in mainland China and Hong Kong to 48 by the end of 2010.
The new hotels in are part of the global expansion of the 80-year old hotel group which currently operates and franchises hotels under the JW Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites and Bulgari brand names.
The global hotel chain has also signed memorandums of understanding with local counterparts for an additional 32 new hotels, to take advantage of a thriving Chinese economy and fast-growing demand for domestic travel.
The international lodging group, which operates under brand names such as Marriott, Courtyard and Ritz-Carlton, opened its first hotel in China in the northeastern city of Shenyang in 1997.
Apparently it will now concentrate a lot of effort on second and third tier cities throughout China.
Source: Forbes