Marriott International has opened its first Four Points Flex branded hotel in Asia Pacific, also marking the group’s 100th hotel in Japan.
Four Points Flex by Sheraton Osaka Umeda is the hotel that has marked the two milestones in the group’s international expansion across the region. The hotel is the first of 14 Japanese properties that will convert to the brand, after Marriott signed an agreement with portfolio owner and global investor KKR.
Swift conversions to the Marriott family
By mid 2025, all of the hotels are expected to have converted, adding more than 3,600 rooms to Marriott’s offering in Japan. The Four Points Flex brand will pop up in key destination cities and towns across the country including Hakodate, Utsunomiya, Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, and Hakata.
KKR acquired the hotels in 2023, after the company took over Japanese hospitality business Unizo, lifting it out of bankruptcy. KKR opted to add international branding to the assets, in a bid to improve their trading performance, and also to attract more international travellers as Japan’s tourism volume rebuilds strongly after the pandemic.
Four Points Flex by Sheraton was developed by Marriott as a brand designed for hotels that want to convert quickly and economically to the Marriott family. Its lower conversion cost, and more flexible brand standards, make for swifter refurbishments, benefiting owners who can start to trade within the Marriott Convoy ecosystem without major downtime.
The brand is proving a hit internationally. In Europe, the first Four Points by Sheraton Flex was delivered in London, with owner Splendid Hospitality converting a 201 room property in the city’s Euston district. Early signings also included two hotels in Turkey, with commitments for conversions in Antalya and Bursa.
Building on this momentum, Marriott recently signed portfolio deals in Denmark and in the UK, immediately adding a strong presence. An agreement with Danish operator Core Hospitality will see 14 hotels there switch from the Zleep brand over the coming months. And in the UK, new partner Resident Hotels will initially convert its four Sleeperz branded hotels to Flex, while looking for other opportunities to grow the relationship with Marriott in the UK.
A strong momentum in Japan
For Marriott, the Japanese additions build on a strong momentum the company already has in the country. In an agreement with local company HMI Group, four of that company’s hotels are switching their branding to Marriott, with three more becoming Courtyard by Marriott properties.
Partnership agreements across Japan have also seen Marriott roll out a series of Fairfield by Marriott hotels across the country, designed to appeal to travellers visiting the country’s unique geography. And the company has not forgotten its luxury brands. In 2025, it will open a 200 room JW Marriott hotel in Tokyo, underlining the breadth of the group’s hospitality offerings.
