From International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) Cannes, Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) today announced that the company continues to grow its leadership position in luxury, doubling its portfolio of luxury hotels through the recent merger with Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Providing global travelers an unrivaled selection of diversified, high-end experiences in 61 countries, the Marriott International Luxury Brands group now includes the iconic St. Regis, The Luxury Collection and W Hotels brands, in addition to the company's world-renowned hospitality hallmarks The Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, EDITION and JW Marriott. Looking ahead, Marriott International is scheduled to open nearly 30 luxury hotels in 2017 and has a total of 180 luxury hotels in its development pipeline, representing 20 new countries, from Iceland and Nepal to Cuba.

"Spanning the world from the most iconic hot spots to the ultimate undiscovered gems, the unmatched breadth and depth of our luxury portfolio uniquely positions us to cater to the increased demand of the rapidly-expanding cadre of affluent travelers," said Tina Edmundson, Global Brand Officer, Marriott International. "With luxury travel up nearly 50% over the past five years, we see a long runway for growth at the high-end and have a world-class, dedicated luxury structure in place to nurture and strengthen this coveted portfolio of eight diverse luxury brands." 

Brands Created for the Global Luxurian

Multi-national and cross-generational, mobile and jet-setting, Marriott International's luxury traveler is comfortable moving across the company's luxury brands portfolio for business and leisure. Edmundson continued: "Our guests' approach to luxury is decidedly less formal, entirely more personal, and defined more by their interests and mind-set than their geography and demographic." This global luxury tribe selects a hotel experience based on their trip purpose, heading to W South Beach for Art Basel Miami, The Ritz-Carlton, Abu Dhabi for Formula 1, The London EDITION for Fashion Week and The St. Regis New York for the United Nations General Assembly.

Traveling well beyond tried and true locations, to destinations from the Philippines to Peru, and all points in between, luxury travelers look to Marriott International for authentic experiences deeply rooted in the destination. "They want to learn how to kitesurf at The St. Regis Mauritius, discover cherry blossom season at The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto, drink bellinis on the terrace at the iconic Gritti Palace during the Venice Biennale and go heli-skiing at W Verbier," said Edmundson.

The Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis Further Define the Luxury Landscape in 2017 

The Ritz-Carlton, the legendary hospitality brand with 92 hotels around the world, will continue to set the standard in luxury in 2017 with four scheduled debuts, including The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi and The Ritz-Carlton, Astana, creating indelible marks for its guests as they discover the best of the locale. St. Regis, with 38 hotels today and 21 in the pipeline, continues to reinterpret the legacy of the original St. Regis hotel in New York for today's luxury traveler. The brand unveiled the spectacular St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort in early November and is slated to make debuts in five destinations in 2017, including Shanghai, Changsha and Cairo.

Luxury Rebel W Hotels Opens 50^th Hotel

Known to turn the conventional hotel experience upside down wherever the iconic W sign lands, W Hotels continues to ride the wave with the recent opening of W Punta de Mita, the ultimate surfer escape. The brand sits alongside luxury, not confined by it, and celebrated the opening of W Las Vegas last week which helped W Hotels hit the landmark 50th hotel milestone. W Goa is set to make its much-anticipated debut on December 12th and the brand has 33 hotels in the pipeline. 2017 will be a strong year for W Hotels with six anticipated openings, ranging from Tel Aviv and Panama City to Shanghai.

EDITION further expands its global influence in Asia and Europe in 2017

EDITION defines a new generation of luxury by balancing sophisticated design and personalized, attentive service with one-of-a-kind food, beverage and entertainment offerings reflecting the best of the cultural and social milieu of each location. Showcasing its luxury-lifestyle experience with hotels in London, New York and Miami Beach, EDITION most recently premiered The Sanya EDITION on Hainan Island in Southern China, the brand's first hotel in Asia, and will debut additional properties in Bangkok and Barcelona by the end of 2017.

The Luxury Collection Surpasses 100^th Hotel Milestone with Robust 2017 Pipeline

An incredible ensemble of 102 hotels in more than 30 countries around the world, The Luxury Collection provides global explorers true, indigenous experiences, impossible to replicate anywhere else. From former palaces in Venice and Vienna to contemporary masterpieces such as the Frank Gehry-designed Marques de Riscal in Spain's Rioja wine region, the brand continues to rapidly expand its footprint. 2017 will see the opening of Hotel Inglaterra in Havana, Cuba, which will join the brand after a complete renovation. The Luxury Collection is set to debut in nine destinations next year, including California's Napa Valley, Singapore and Panama City.  

After Marquee Openings in Venice and Los Cabos, JW Marriott Continues to Soar

JW Marriott, the brand inspired by its legendary namesake, is an expression of approachable, modern luxury. With 79 hotels and resorts today in 27 countries, including the recent openings of JW Marriott Venice and JW Marriott Los Cabos, the brand is looking forward to its much anticipated 2017 resort debut in Vietnam with the opening of JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort & Spa. Additionally, JW Marriott will open JW Marriott parq Vancouver by the end of next year.