The Marriott group continues to weave its web in the EMEA region. The past few months have seen a number of major openings, including its first luxury lodge in Kenya, the JW Marriott Masai Mara, and the lifestyle W hotels in Budapest and Edinburgh, one in a historic building in the heart of the Hungarian capital. Drechsler Palace -and the other in a new building with a distinctive its astonishing spiral façade. More recently, Marriott added a luxury resort near Tangiers to its portfolio, the St. Regis La Bahia Blancain the bay of Tamouda on Morocco's Mediterranean coast. " A fabulous hotel in a region that I'm sure will make a name for itself over the next ten years." says Ronny Maier, VP Western Europe and Maghreb, highlighting these increasingly popular alternative destinations.
With slow travel, it would even be one of the trends of the years to come according to the Marriott Bonvoy 2024 Future Travel Trends study. Nearly a third of the people questioned in this study intend to travel to an alternative destination in the next three years, saving time and money in order to enjoy a similar experience. " For example, go to Bruges instead of Venice, Antwerp instead of Amsterdam, and why not swap Dubai for Tamuda Bay?" underlines Ronny Maier.
Especially as the new St. Regis resort has a lot to offer. Designed by the Smallwood design studio with a décor inspired by riads and local white architecture, the luxury hotel offers 83 rooms and 17 suites, all with private balconies overlooking the sea. And, of course, everything you need for special moments of relaxation with a VIP butler service, a French-inspired brasserie and grill restaurant on the beach, a Sothys spa and a bar inspired by the famous King Cole Bar at the St. Regis New York. A place of welcome too for exclusive meetings with over 500 m2 event spaces, divided into seven rooms including the Astor ballroom, extended by a garden overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
Marriott prepares new addresses for 2024
World leader in luxury hotels, Marriott to continue in 2024 the development of fine hotels in the EMEA regionThe brand is also working on a number of new projects, notably in Prague, with a new W due to open in the first quarter. As in Budapest, the brand is preparing to give a new lifestyle boost to a historic building in the city, in this case the Grand Hotel Evropa on Wenceslas Square, one of the finest examples of Art Nouveau in Prague. Also on the agenda for the year is the opening of a Ritz-Carlton 'reserve' in Saudi Arabia, as part of the Red Sea Development, one of the country's many ambitious tourism projects. Set on a series of pristine private islands of unspoilt natural beauty, the complex is to comprise 63 villas, some on the water, others on the beach.
The luxury segment is key and still growing at Marriott, as demonstrated by another major project, the St. Regis Belgrade, housed in the top floors of the Kula Belgrade tower, the tallest skyscraper in the Serbian capital. One of Belgrade's future top addressesThe new hotel will have 119 rooms and suites and an event space of over 1,250 m².
However, the American group can also count on its premium brands that are well known to business travellers, such as Sheraton, which will see the opening of a hotel in Nouakchott, the first five-star hotel in the Mauritanian capital, and Marriott, whose arrival is announced for next year in Luxembourg. The hotel is ideally located for business trips, opposite the central station, within the walls of the Hotel Alfa, an establishment dating from the 1930s, listed for its Art Deco style, but closed since 2017. In another major refurbishment, this time internal to Marriott, the American group will be relocating in the first quarter of next year to the Alfa Hotel. one of its Parisian flagships, the Marriott Rive GaucheThis is one of the capital's major MICE hubs, known for its adjoining conference centre.
" There is no alternative destination to Paris" says Ronny Meier. This explains why the American group is always on the lookout for development opportunities in the capital. But the diversity of its brands, particularly in the mid-range, means that it can envisage a stronger presence in secondary markets. In this context, its Aloft chain will be appearing in Dijon in the second quarter, revisiting the former Hôtel des Postes, dating from 1907, as a lifestyle establishment. Another contemporary chain, Moxy, will be opening in Annecy in the third quarter, but will also be opening near Paris in the coming months at Clamartwithin the ZAC Grand Canal development zone.
While the Courtyard by Marriott brand has just unveiled a new design concept being rolled out across EuropeThe future Courtyard Lyon Est will be one of the first to feature this new brand, opening its doors in the spring near Lyon Eurexpo. As for the new mid-range brand recently launched by Marriott, Four Points Express by Sheratoncould it soon be making its debut in France? Although no plans for France have been announced, " this brand opens up new opportunities in regional cities or secondary locations in major cities, such as the first hotel expected to open in London, close to Euston station." says Marriott's VP Western Europe and Maghreb.
To orchestrate its presence in France, the American group has a powerful argument in its hand: its Marriott Bonvoy loyalty programmeBonvoy, which is approaching 200 million members. In addition to the traditional advantages offered by points and status, Bonvoy is focusing on experiences, in particular through its partnership with Manchester United, which gives members access to Old Trafford stadium, the "theatre of dreams" for many football fans. This idea has also been extended to France through a partnership with the Strasbourg International Tennis Tournament and the Paris Basketball. A way of showing that " the French market is important to us" as Ronny Meier points out.
