The US-based luxury hospitality chain Marriott International is planning to expand its presence in the country as well as in South Asia.

The group will add four hotels in Sri Lanka and Nepal by next year. Sri Lanka is one of the countries where Marriott does not have presence now.

According to Rajeev Menon, Chief Operating Officer, Asia Pacific (excluding Greater China), there will be three hotels in Sri Lanka coming up at Colombo (320 keys), Weligama (200 keys) and Kosgoda (172), a beach town. Colombo and Kosgoda will be under the Sheraton brand, while Weligama will be under Marriott.

The 180-key mid-tier budget hotel in Kathmandu in Nepal, under Fairfield sub-brand, is expected to be ready by January next year. “All hotels will be managed properties. We are entering Sri Lanka with three hotels,” he said during an interview to BusinessLine . Menon was in the city for the inauguration of the 281-room JW Marriott Hotel on Tuesday.

South Asia includes India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal for Marriott. The largest hotel chain in India post purchase of Starwood, Marriott has 79 properties across 14 brands (including the ones owned by Starwood) with over 18,000 rooms. In India, the hospitality major is looking to add 1000 plus rooms by December this year across five properties – namely one each in Jaisalmer and Pushkar in Rajasthan, Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Belgaum (Karnataka) and Goa. This apart, Westin is also expected to come up in Kolkata by end of this year, adding another 300-odd rooms to this tally.

Bullish on India According to Menon, the company is bullish on India having witnessed double digit growth (both in topline and bottomline) with 70 per cent occupancy levels.

Nearly, 70 per cent of Marriott’s occupancies are domestic visitors. Till a few years ago, booking ratio stood at 35:65, with the bulk coming from international tourists.

“The exponential growth of the middle class, increased domestic travel , the FDI flow and the Make in India campaign are some of the factors that bolstered the hotel industry,” he said. The company has been adding close to 17-20 hotels to its portfolio every year on an average and this may go up to around 20-25.

“Going forward, India’s contribution (to Marriott turnover) will move up to double digits,” he said.

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