Marriott lays out plans for Caribbean-Latin America

Marriott International’s blueprint for expansion in the Caribbean and Latin American region calls for a portfolio of 95 hotels, offering more than 22,000 rooms across 10 lodging brands in 25 countries and territories by 2016.

The geographic area, which encompasses the Caribbean, Mexico, Latin and South America, is experiencing an “explosive growth rate,” said Rob Steigerwald, Marriott’s COO, Americas South. “The entire region shows demand from travelers around the world.”

In the pipeline through 2016 are four Ritz-Carltons, four JW Marriotts, four Marriotts, a Renaissance, three Residence Inns, eight Courtyards, three Fairfield Inns, one Edition and an Autograph Collection hotel.

In addition, 50 Fairfield Inns are planned for Brazil, designed for the midmarket sector, in light of the anticipated growth due to the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament in 2014 and the Summer Olympics in 2016, Steigerwald said.

“A team of developers actively pursues opportunities in the region,” he said. “Our company’s strategic objective is to be represented in all major gateway cities, commercial centers and resort destinations, followed by expansion into secondary markets.”

Despite a still-struggling U.S. economy, both leisure and group bookings from the U.S. to the region are rebounding, Steigerwald said.

“We’ve had increases in our group business to Cancun this year, and the advance booking picture for 2012 looks equally strong, not just for resort destinations but for the business centers, as well,” he said.

Although Mexico has been affected by safety and security concerns related to its crime issues, many companies are beginning to lift their Mexico travel restrictions, Steigerwald said.

“We meet regularly with the Mexico tourism officials so we can help build their tourism industry together,” he said.