Marriott had a banner year in 2025 in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. While the world leader's portfolio grew by +4.3% overall, it rose by +7.8 % in the EMEA region alone. 170 hotels were added to the American group's portfolio, for a total of almost 24,000 rooms. " 2025 was another solid year, marked by strategic expansion and sustained momentum across all the region's segments. "said Satya Anand, President EMEA, Marriott International.
This can be explained, among other things, by the expansion of the Four Points Flex by Sheraton brand, illustrating the American group's new desire for power in the mid-range hotel sector. In Europe and around the world, this has resulted in the addition of 23 hotels in the region by 2025, and the brand's entry into Germany and Italy, as well as Austria and Spain. This brings the total number of establishments to almost 40. At the same time, the luxury segment, in which Marriott is the leading player, has also seen record growth, symbolised by the openings of the W Florence and W Sardinia in Italy and the new EDITION hotels near Lake Como and along the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia.
Speaking at the Les Tendances de l'hôtellerie event organised by In Extenso and Deloitte, Jérôme Briet, Managing Director in charge of the American group's development in the EMEA region, pointed out that " Southern Europe, including Spain, Italy and Greece, is probably the most dynamic region after the Middle East. ". This has led to an expansion of the group with new luxury hotels such as the JW Marriott Crete Resort & Spa and, still in Greece, Patmos Aktis, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa.
The debut in Luxembourg of the group's flagship brand, Marriott Hotels, with the Luxembourg Marriott Hotel Alfa, a new luxury hotel in Krakow - the H15 Palace, part of the Luxury Collection: the American group saw other emblematic openings last year. In addition to the opening of Moxy Belfast City, the 100th establishment of the contemporary budget brand, which celebrated its 10th anniversary by reaching this symbolic milestone, there were other inaugurations in Istanbul, Lisbon and Warsaw.
But, above all, what explains the strong growth of the American group on this side of the Atlantic last year is the acquisition of the citizenM brand, followed by the integration of its 19 hotels in the region into its offering in the fourth quarter. A total of almost 4,000 rooms have been added to Marriott's lifestyle portfolio, with citizenM renowned for its focus on art and design.
" The positioning of this brand at the entry point of the upmarket segment was very strategic for Marriott, because we didn't have a lifestyle brand at that level. But its expertise in the tech sector is also a game-changer.Jérôme Briet also said. For example, we have started to export the self check-in kiosk service to some of our hotels, including the Moxy Piccadilly in London. ".
Marriott expansion to continue
The United Kingdom, Germany and Italy on the one hand, and Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on the other: several markets will continue to drive the Group's growth this year and in the years to come. The year 2025 was also rich in projects, with the signing of more than 230 hotels, bringing the Group's pipeline to more than 600 establishments in the pipeline in the EMEA region, with a total of almost 113,000 rooms.
In this context, Marriott is set to further strengthen its leadership in the luxury hotel sector with a record 40 projects signed last year, including for the St. Regis brand. However, as conversion and reconversion projects are the most prolific, accounting for half of the projects signed last year, this momentum will benefit the group's collector brands, notably Autograph or Tribute, and its brands focused on conversions. These include Four Points Flex by Sheraton, which is set to continue its expansion, with 18 deals signed by 2025. But two new mid-range brands will also fuel Marriott's growth in the region: the Series by Marriott collection and the StudioRes long-stay brand.
