Marriott International to open seven Scots hotels

Sarah Doyle, director, global brand management for W Hotels Worldwide

Marriott International plans to open seven new hotels in Scotland over the next four years “due to their confidence in Scotland’s strong economy and tourism sectors,” the Scottish Government said.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will meet Kevin Montano, global development officer for Marriott International and Sarah Doyle, director, global brand management for W Hotels Worldwide, while visiting New York.

The highest profile hotel opening will be W Edinburgh.

Sturgeon will also be briefed on Marriott International’s plans to expand its Moxy Hotels portfolio in Scotland.

“Despite the uncertainty brought about by Brexit, Scotland’s economy and tourism sectors remain strong and I am delighted that big businesses like Marriott International are choosing to show their confidence by investing here,” said Sturgeon.

“Scotland’s performance in hotel markets is exceptionally strong with latest figures showing that we are outperforming 11 of the main 12 European hotel markets, including Paris, Madrid and Berlin – only London was higher.”

Montano said in a statement: “With seven hotels across five Marriott brands — W Hotels, Moxy, Aloft, Courtyard and Residence Inn — scheduled to open within the next four years, we remain optimistic for the future growth of our company and hospitality overall in Scotland.”

Scottish Enterprise chief executive Lena Wilson said: “Scottish Enterprise is delighted to have supported Marriott’s expansion in Scotland.

“Scotland has a thriving tourism industry and is a key economic sector attracting substantial inward investment, so Marriott’s decision to increase its presence in Scotland by 2021 demonstrates their competitiveness in the sector and their commitment to Scotland.

“We look forward to continuing working with the Marriott leadership team going forward.”

The Scottish government said figures from January 2017 found there were current plans to open 38 new hotels in Scotland, adding 4,660 bedrooms.