By James Wilkinson in Hong Kong
Marriott International’s President and Managing Director of Asia-Pacific, Craig Smith, says he’s excited about the strong growth of the company in Australia, which is showing no signs of slowing down.
Only a week ago, Marriott signed its first Moxy in Australia, while the St Regis brand is set to debut in 2022 and the Ritz-Carlton finally returns to the burgeoning luxury market this year.
Speaking exclusively to HM at the company’s Asia-Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong, Smith said the company’s portfolio under his watch has grown from 200 to over 700 hotels, while loyalty continues to play a massive role in both bookings and expansion. The company will open 100 hotels in Asia this year alone, and with up to 600 more in the pipeline, the target of having 1,000 hotels open by 2020 has him “very confident” of achieving it.
In the interview, he also speaks about the resorts market, business traveller demands and much more.
To watch the video, click on the image below.