Marriott International plans to add more than 140 hotels and resorts outside the United States and Canada, representing more than 34,000 rooms in 43 countries over the next four years. These new hotels are part of Marriott International's global growth strategy in which more than 125,000 rooms were under construction, expected to be remodeled or approved to begin development in late 2007.
International expansion is being driven by a growing global middle class and increased consumer confidence along with the desire to satisfy individual tastes and interests. Marriott International is expected to manage or franchise nearly 500 hotels outside the United States and Canada and provide an option of approximately 126,000 rooms by 2011. Within this expansion are Marriott International's hotel brands in the luxury, mid-market and long-stay travel segments, with the largest concentration of short-term openings in China, India, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.
