Luxury hospitality major Marriott International has reported strong growth results in Asia Pacific excluding China region in 2023, banking on its luxury offerings.

Following Marriott International’s strong global net rooms growth and record year of organic signings in 2023, the US-hospitality giant has highlighted a surge in hotel and residences openings and signings in the Asia Pacific excluding China (APEC) region, particularly in key travel markets such as Japan, India and Vietnam. 

The company also sealed a record of over 80 deals signed across 13 markets, representing approximately 18,000 rooms.

In a press statement, Marriott says that at the close of 2023 it set a milestone in APEC with addition of over 60 properties to its portfolio. It brought the company’s presence in the APEC region to more than 560 operating hotels and residences and exceeded 10 pc net rooms growth compared to 2022.

Marriott says it continues to focus on strategically providing the best-in-class offerings to owners, franchisees and guests in alignment with the evolving landscape. At the end of 2023, Marriott’s APEC development pipeline stood at over 320 hotels with over 69,000 rooms across the region.

The statement adds that continuing to play a pivotal role in its growth, 25 pc of Marriott’s global luxury rooms pipeline is represented in APEC. In 2023, 15 pc of the deals signed in APEC were in the luxury segment. A record nine luxury hotels were opened in the region in 2023, including The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne, Marriott’s 1,000th hotel in the Asia Pacific region. The JW Marriott Goa debuted the brand in Goa and was the company’s 150th hotel to open in South Asia, and added The Singapore Edition, the first Edition in Southeast Asia.

“With our record year of growth at Marriott International in APEC, we remain committed to meeting the demands of modern travellers, underscored by our diverse portfolio of brands and strategic presence in new destinations. The year 2023 has positioned us as a thriving and desirable region in the global landscape.  I am excited about our momentum as we focus on being where our customers want us to be and connecting people through the power of travel,” says Rajeev Menon, President, Marriott International, APEC.

The statement adds that Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott’s loyalty programme, has also helped fuel interest in the company’s regional portfolio. In APEC, the Marriott Bonvoy membership base has surged by 50 percent since 2019.

It says that beyond hotel stays, Marriott Bonvoy continues to re-define the regional travel landscape with strategic partnerships with Singapore Airlines, Rakuten and co-branded credit cards in Japan, Korea, and India. The company’s commitment to delivering exceptional experiences, coupled with the strength of Marriott Bonvoy, positions Marriott as a leader in shaping the future of travel and hospitality across the APEC region.