Marriott International has revealed plans to grow its market presence in Poland, having built up a pipeline of more than 10 hotels to launch in the next few years.
The additions will grow the group’s current presence of 24 operating hotels in the east European market. Currently, it has 12 brands represented, in eight city markets across the country; included in its development pipeline will be the launch of two more brands in Poland, Le Meridien and Element.
A 2022 survey put Accor as the leading hotel group in the country, with 91 branded hotels in Poland, ahead of local rival Polski Holding Hotelowy with 38 properties. Hilton came in third with 29 hotels, followed by Louvre with 23 and Marriott with 20.
Le Meridien returns
The Le Meridien brand will launch in Krakow, where investor AMW Hotele is to upgrade the landmark Hotel Royale, creating a 120 room luxury hotel. An opening is planned in 2025. It is a return of the brand to Poland, as there was a Le Meridien in Warsaw until its closure in 2013. AMW is part of the PHH group, which also has other links with Marriott, launching and managing other branded properties together in Poland.
Another brand planning to grow is Renaissance, with the five star brand opening in Gdansk. Currently under construction on the city’s Granary Island, the 250 room hotel is expected to launch in early 2026, and will feature a sky bar with views across the old town and river. It will join the first Renaissance in Poland, situated at Warsaw airport.
“We are seeing significant growth in the market through conversion opportunities, which further highlights the trust owners have in Marriott International and the reputation of our world-class brands,” said Jerome Briet, Chief Development Officer EMEA for Marriott. “More than half of our development pipeline in Poland features conversion and adaptive re-use projects.”
A second Luxury Collection hotel will also open in the coming months, in Krakow. There, investment partner Dobry Hotel Group is preparing to add the historic Lubomirski Palace building to the brand, after refurbishment of the 70 room hotel, currently operating as the H15 Luxury Palace. The arrangement cements a partnership between Dobry and Marriott, who are already working together at two other Marriott branded hotels in Warsaw.
Select service success
Growth is also planned for Marriott’s select service brands, with the Element extended stay brand launching in 2024 in Wroclaw. This will be followed in 2025 by the addition of two new Four Points by Sheraton hotels, opening in Poznan and Wroclaw. And there will be a fifth Moxy branded hotel opening, in central Warsaw, with this being the fifth Moxy in Poland, joining hotels already open under the brand in Katowice, Poznan, Szczecin and Warsaw.
Marriott will also be adding to its collection brands, which draw together independent hotels under the group’s brand umbrella. In Warsaw, there is a planned opening joining the Tribute Collection while in Wroclaw there will be an addition to the Autograph Collection.