Marriott chief has big plans for UK
John Willard Marriott Jr, chairman and chief executive of US-based hotel group Marriott International, was in London this week to reiterate the company's commitment to expanding its presence across the UK.
"We're excited by London's upbeat tempo and the fact that the city's visitor arrivals share is beginning to move in a positive direction again," said Marriott.
The opening of a 301-bedroom hotel and 47-unit serviced apartment block in West India Quay in June will take the group's tally of properties in Greater London to 25. It's also looking for properties in other UK cities including Edinburgh, Cardiff, Cambridge and Oxford, and is launching a multimillion pound renovation of the Grosvenor House hotel after taking over its management in February. It will encompass all public areas and add 48 new bedrooms and several new meeting rooms to the 450-bedroom hotel. The health club and restaurants will also be renovated.
The work is scheduled to finish in early 2007 and will see the property rebranded as a JW Marriott hotel. The group plans to add 25,000 to 30,000 bedrooms a year to its portfolio, a fifth of them outside the USA.
