Marriott Plans 12 Hotel Openings in India in 2024, Shimla to Get a Ritz-Carlton in 2029

Marriott International expects to open 14 hotels in South Asia this year, 12 of which will be in India, adding approximately 1,200 rooms to the hotel chain’s existing portfolio in the country.

India is one of Marriott International’s most important markets in Asia, with the second-highest number of hotels and rooms after China, said Rajeev Menon, Marriott's president, Asia Pacific excluding China.

Marriott launched Moxy in India in early January with the Moxy Bengaluru Airport Prestige Tech Cloud. Menon told Skift Marriott would be exploring opportunities for further brand debuts in the country.

The hotel chain will also be launching the Moxy Mumbai Andheri West in April.

The Third Ritz-Carlton in India

Marriott is set to bolster its luxury portfolio in leisure destinations: It has plans to introduce the Ritz-Carlton brand in northern India through The Ritz-Carlton, Amila Hills in Shimla. It is slated for a May 2029 opening.

India already has two Ritz Carltons one in Bengaluru in south India and the other in Pune in the western part of the country.

Menon noted the strong demand for luxury and premium brands in the country: 77% of the rooms signed in 2023 in the region were within the luxury and premium portfolio, compared to 48% in 2022.

The Mid-Scale Segment

However, Menon also said that the hotel chain would continue to expand in the mid-scale segment due to rising consumer demand for reliable and affordable accommodations in top cities and tertiary markets throughout India.

“As seasoned travelers continue to demand more in terms of both quality and experience, we have significant opportunity to grow our brands across the spectrum in gateway cities, tertiary markets as well as in resort destinations,” Menon said.

Driven by burgeoning middle-class aspirations and shifting preferences, smaller cities in India have been witnessing significant growth, Ranju Alex, Marriott’s area vice president for South Asia, had said earlier to Skift.

India's surging middle class driving travel trends has been discussed by Skift in the latest Megatrends.

Alex had said that while tier one cities accommodate the majority of Bonvoy members, the true growth prospects lie in their smaller counterparts.

Marriott has 28 signed deals over the past year and start of 2024 till date in South Asia, adding over 4,600 rooms to its development pipeline.

“With a development pipeline of approximately 81 hotels in India we continue to grow our brand portfolio to meet the needs of guests across all stay purposes in the country,” Menon told Skift.

India Openings

Courtyard by Marriott and Fairfield by Marriott represent approximately 45% of the properties expected to open within the next four years, across India. These openings comprise:

• Courtyard by Marriott Gwalior
• Courtyard by Marriott Guwahati Beltola
• Fairfield by Marriott Guwahati
• Fairfield by Marriott Andheri
• Fairfield by Marriott Jalandhar
• Fairfield by Marriott Naina Tikker in Himachal Pradesh

Marriott Hotels and Resorts, the company’s flagship brand, is expected to debut in emerging destinations with:

• Guwahati Marriott Resort & Spa,
• Ludhiana Marriott Hotel,
• Ayodhya Marriott Hotel,
• Shimla Marriott Hotel
• Amritsar Marriott Hotel.

Luxury openings:

• JW Marriott Surat Resort and Spa
• JW Marriott Sohna Resort and Spa in Delhi NCR

Other hotel openings:

• Westin Hyderabad Resort
• Westin Coorg Resort and Spa.
• Le Méridien Jalandhar.

Menon will be speaking at the Skift India Summit in Delhi-NCR on March 20.