Courtyard expands in Asia

THE Courtyard brand is fast expandingglobally and in Asia is focused on China andIndia. This year, Marriott is expected to openapproximately 57 Courtyard hotels—about40 will be located in the U.S. and Canada, andanother 16 o18 Courtyards internationally in11 countries.In China, Marriott is currently planningto open three Courtyard hotels this year:Courtyard by Marriott Hong Kong (our firstCourtyard in the city), Courtyard by MarriottBeijing Northeast and the Courtyard byMarriott Hangzhou City Center.In India, two Courtyard hotels arescheduled to open: the Courtyard by MarriottGurgaon and the Courtyard by Marriott Pune(Hinjewadi) Panchshil. In addition, sevenmore Courtyard hotels are expected to openin India before the end of 2010.“In general, Marriott International hasaggressive global growth plans over the nextthree or four years across its brands. Much ofthis growth will take place in markets outsidethe continental U.S. and Canada. China andIndia represent key corporate travel markets,thus a large portion of our growth, includingour Courtyard by Marriott brand, is focused inthese two countries.“At the same time, both these countriesare experiencing strong leisure travelgrowth, which is primarily being driven byan expanding Chinese middle class that iseager to travel. The upcoming 2008 BeijingSummer Olympic Games are also a key driverof hotel growth and expansion in Chinatoday, and Courtyard hopes to gain from thelarge number of travellers who will visit Chinaduring and after the festivities,” said Brian J.King, vice president & Global Brand Manager,Courtyard by Marriott Brand, MarriottInternational.Courtyard by Marriott is focused on theupper-moderate-tier segment of travellers.These are high-quality hotels in the top oftheir tier.The brand commands a premium overother upper-moderate-tier competitors, aposition it has held since its creation 25 yearsago.Courtyard is designed for the businesstraveller who is driven by achieving success,but who also sees business travel as anopportunity. This purposeful thinking about“Simply focusing on deliveringoperational excellence and a consistenthotel experience is no longer enough to drivemarket leadership. Guests and their needschange daily and Courtyard is redefining theoverall guest experience it delivers in order tocontinue to be the preferred upper-moderatetierhotel brand and to maintain its positionas a leader in this segment. The brand thatrevolutionised business travel 25 years agois now focused on becoming smarter, moreenergising and more flexible for our guests,”said King.