Marriott International announces major global expansion

The Marriott International's pipeline of hotels under construction, awaiting conversion or approved for development currently totals approximately 130,000 rooms worldwide. The company expects its worldwide system to encompass nearly 600,000 rooms by year-end 2009.

The growth plans for Marriott International till 2014 include 17 new properties in the UAE, 9 in Saudi Arabia, three in Qatar, one in Bahrain, one in Egypt, one in Algeria besides 19 new hotels in China, 23 in India, 8 in Thailand, 5 in the Caribbean and Latin America, 5 in France, 6 in the UK and 6 in Mexico, among others.

Marriott Executive Apartments - the upscale serviced apartment brand of Marriott International - will nearly double in size in the next 36 months, to respond to a growing need in many emerging markets for long-term stay lodging for executive expatriates needing spacious housing and hotel amenities.

Value-added services

Guests checking into a new Courtyard by Marriott in Thailand, China or India can enjoy the experience of MoMo Café facilities, an all day restaurant that combines local cuisine with western favorites. Momo Café's open layout, cheerful staff and comfortable atmosphere makes it a welcoming all purpose area for dining, relaxing and lounging.

Another great value for families is Kidsworld, a getaway for children of all ages offering an array of toys, activities and entertainment from movie theaters, play station nooks, two story pool slides, table football, and dress up corners.

Rewards

Marriott Rewards, the award-winning guest loyalty program, has announced that its members will be able to redeem points for free nights at 2,900 hotels every day of the year. For every four-night stay redeemed, members will receive a fifth redemption night free for that stay while Platinum Elite members' bonuses will increase from 30 to 50% of the total points earned during their stay.