As the economy recovers, hotel chains are expanding international portfolios. While there's not a lot of new hotel construction going on here at home, there's plenty of activity offshore, particularly in Europe, China and India. Here's just a brief recap of some of the hotels that are expected to come online over the next few years.
Brands up the ante in India
Starwood, Wyndham, Hyatt and Best Western announced expansions into India, with the four brands combining for more than 100 new properties. Starwood, which currently operates 33 hotels in India, said it would open 20 additional hotels by 2015. These include Starwood's first W and St. Regis hotels in India. Wyndham announced an agreement to develop a 120-room Ramada resort in Udaipur and to introduce a Howard Johnson in India. The brand will open a total of 35 properties by 2017. Meanwhile, Hyatt also signed a management agreement with an affiliate to develop seven full-service and 14 select-service hotels in India during the next several years, giving it a total of 53 hotels under development. Finally, Best Western announced plans to develop 66 hotels in India within the next five years—that would triple the brand's presence in India.
Marriott to open three more European properties
Marriott International announced that three new hotels, which are set to open in France, Poland and the Netherlands, will join its portfolio in Europe by 2014. The hotels are the 120-room Courtyard in Le Bourget, France; the 175-room Courtyard in Gdynia, Poland and the 170-room Courtyard Amsterdam Atlas Park in The Netherlands. In November, Marriott unveiled its new prototype for the Courtyard by Marriott brand in Europe, which is designed to be more locally relevant. Guestrooms will be designed to be a haven for business travelers, with each room featuring extra work space, task lighting and multiple, accessible outlets making plugging and charging electronics easier.
