Marriott International is aggressively expanding its presence in India, which is currently its fourth-largest market globally. The US-based hospitality leader plans to add 12 new hotels across the country in 2024, continuing this pace in the forthcoming years. This expansion is part of Marriott's broader strategy to grow its Indian portfolio to 250 properties by 2025, including those under development and in the pipeline.

Recently, Marriott celebrated the opening of its 150th hotel in Katra, Jammu and Kashmir, and now has 83 new hotels in the pipeline. These upcoming properties will add approximately 12,300 rooms to its existing inventory, which currently stands at over 28,000 rooms across 17 brands. By the completion of this expansion, Marriott expects to manage more than 40,000 rooms in India.

Ranju Alex, Marriott International's Area Vice-President for South Asia, commented on the expansion: “India has shown remarkable resilience in the post-Covid recovery, particularly driven by strong domestic travel. This dynamic has allowed us to accelerate our expansion and focus on new opportunities in emerging urban locations as well as tier II and III cities.”

Marriott's strategic focus also includes urban areas with rising investment activity, such as Gujarat, and remains keen on opportunities in Navi Mumbai due to the upcoming airport, which is expected to boost the region's accessibility and economic growth.

Additionally, Marriott is witnessing significant growth in its Bonvoy loyalty program enrollments in India. Currently, Bonvoy members constitute 70% of its total membership base in the country, a figure that is expected to increase to 75% within the year.

The company's robust expansion plan is underpinned by a strong performance in key metrics such as revenue per available room (RevPAR), which surged by over 30% during the 2022-2023 period. A further growth of 12%-13% in RevPAR is projected for the first quarter of 2024, reflecting the healthy demand and Marriott's effective market strategies in India.

This aggressive expansion underscores Marriott's commitment to India as a pivotal market in its global strategy, leveraging the country's rapid economic growth and vibrant domestic tourism sector to reinforce its presence in the Asia-Pacific region.