Hospitality giant Marriott International plans to open four new properties in Bengaluru during the current financial year.
The new hotels that are coming up include Sheraton Grand at Whitefield with 360 keys and a Courtyard by Marriott near Manyata Tech Park with 188 keys. The expansion also involves two brands which Marriott would be bringing to Bengaluru for the first time, namely Renaissance (280 keys) near Race Course Road and Marriott Executive Apartments (102 keys) at Bellandur. Marriott would be hiring 800-1,000 associates for the said properties.
Marriott is bullish on the Bengaluru market, where it already operates 13 hotels under 10 brands, translating to over 2,000 keys, and employing 2,000 associates. “Today, we control 25% of the inventory in Bengaluru, making us the largest hotel player here. We enjoy 70-75% occupancy, across all properties,” Marriott International Multi-Property Vice President (Bengaluru) and General Manager of Bengaluru Marriott Hotel Whitefield Jatin Khanna told DH.
Today, Marriott International controls significant market share in Bengaluru, at 30-35%. Sharing the scope of the Bengaluru market, he said, “If you look at Bengaluru against other markets, it is growing the fastest at 10-20% Revenue Per Available Room this year. Two years ago, the industry was sluggish, but the customer sentiment has changed today, with many micromarkets. ”
One of the elements of the strategy driving Marriott’s expansion is to tap Bengaluru’s MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) potential. Today, MICE contributes 8-10% of Marriott’s business in Bengaluru, and the company is eyeing 14-15% contribution. “Bengaluru is not a traditional MICE market. But MICE is a game-changer, which could help drive weekend occupancies, with bulk check-ins at a given time,” Khanna said, adding that the new Sheraton would serve the segment well.
It was a year ago that Marriott International acquired Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, making it one of the largest hotel chains in the world, and the biggest hospitality entity in India. Today, Marriott International operates 86 hotels in India, with over 18,000 keys across 15 brands, under three collections: Luxury (St. Regis, W and Ritz-Carlton), Premium (JW Marriott, Westin, Le Meridien, Renaissance, Marriott Executive Apartments, Marriott and Sheraton), and Select Services (Courtyard by Marriott, Fairfield by Marriott, Four Points by Sheraton and Aloft).