Marriott International has expressed confidence in the prospects for Asia-Pacific’s hotels following the opening of a milestone property in the region, the JW Marriott Nara in Japan.

A senior figure at Marriott has delivered an upbeat assessment of what the future may hold as the company expands its presence in the Land of the Rising Sun. We take a closer look at the hotel giant’s plans.

Marriott doubles down in APAC

Marriott seems to be forging full steam ahead with efforts to expand its reach in the APAC region, not least by opening the JW Marriott Nara, its 800th hotel in the region. Located on the edge of a 1,300-year-old garden set on former royal palace gardens, the property boasts 158 rooms and is JW Marriott’s first offering in Japan.

Craig S Smith, group president, Asia Pacific for Marriott International, said: “We remain confident in the resilience of travel, our owners and franchisees, guests and associates as well as the future prospects of lodging in Asia Pacific, our second largest market. We are encouraged by recent trends, especially in China, where demand has been driven primarily by domestic tourism, and we will continue to focus on strengthening our footprint in this important, growing market.”

More hotel development in the pipeline

Following hot on the heels of the JW Marriott Nara, Marriott is also planning to open Edition and Aloft hotels in Japan later this year. The group has on average added nearly 80 hotels per year to the APAC region in the last three years, while its pipeline has grown by almost 10% annually over the same period.

In the first half of 2020, for instance, the company notched up 73 new signings in APAC, including 43 in the Greater China region – a sure sign that Covid19 hasn’t completely derailed the international hospitality market. Marriott in APAC has also witnessed a 20% increase in the number of conversion hotels added to its portfolio on an annual basis.

Paul Foskey, chief development officer, Marriott International, Asia Pacific, added: “Our owners and franchisees trust and choose Marriott International because of our overall reputation for product quality, our powerful and differentiated portfolio of brands, our Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program with more than 142 million global members, and our proven track record of operational excellence.”