Marriott International has celebrated the opening of its 9,000th hotel. The milestone property launch was at the Longboat Key Resort in Florida, adding to the St. Regis brand portfolio.
“It is particularly fitting that this magnificent hotel marks the 9,000th property in our portfolio,” said Marriott CEO Tony Capuano. “This exquisitely designed new build resort embodies the elegance and sophistication synonymous with the St. Regis brand.”
A growing luxury presence
Longboat Key Resort joins the St.Regis brand, which sits within Marriott’s luxury portfolio of seven brands, currently featuring 522 luxury hotels operating in 72 countries globally. Marriott has already committed to a pipeline of a further 233 luxury hotels, as it grows its presence in the luxury segment.
The original St. Regis hotel was launched in New York in 1904, by colonel John Jacob Astor. Astor, who died with the sinking of the Titanic, had insisted every room in his new luxury hotel had a telephone.
The St. Regis brand has a number of distinctive key elements, one of which is its signature cocktail, the Bloody Mary. Invented in 1934 by Fernand Petiot, barman at the King Cole Bar in the St. Regis New York, it combines vodka and tomato juice in a recipe guaranteed to invigorate; at certain points in its history, the cocktail’s name was felt just a little too racy, and so it was renamed the Red Snapper to avoid offending hotel guests.
Today, the St.Regis brand is present in 67 locations around the globe, with 26 of those in Asia, including a strong presence in China. In the Middle East two hotels each in Dubai and Abu Dhabi showcase the brand.
In mid 2024, the group launched its latest St. Regis hotel, the Al Mouj Muscat Resort in Oman. With 250 rooms and Oman’s first Guerlain spa, the resort is a place to relax or attend a luxury event at one of its two opulent ballrooms.
Also coming soon are two hotels due to launch before the end of 2024. St. Regis Cap Cana The Residences in the Dominican Republic will have 70 rooms; while St. Regis Belgrade will bring a luxury 119 room hotel to the Serbian capital.
More St. Regis signings
In Newport Beach, California, Marriott recently signed to take over the five star Resort at Pelican Hill. The property, set in 504 acres, with two golf courses, is expected to be upgraded and rebranded to a St. Regis in due course.
In China a further addition to the brand’s presence will come in late 2026, with the opening of St. Regis Qiandao Lake. Developed by Zhejiang Wanhao Wanjia Group, the hotel will be one of two Marriott properties at the location, joined by an AC brand hotel. The hotel will feature 80 rooms and 36 villas. It joins a strong pipeline of Chinese properties, including St.Regis Xiamen, St. Regis Haikou, and a new hotel in Qianjiang Century City, Hangzhou.
