JW Marriott Brand Celebrates 25th Anniversary

Published: March 11, 2009 / LuxuryTravelMagazine.com

Marriott International (NYSE:MAR) announced today the addition of three more properties to its luxury JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts brand portfolio:

• 150-room JW Marriott Hotel Cuzco, Peru (opening in 2010)
• 370-room JW Marriott Hotel Tripoli, Libya (opening in 2011)
• 371-room JW Marriott Coco Beach Resort & Spa, Puerto Rico (opening in 2011)

The three additions will bolster the JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts brand pipeline to 25 properties opening now through 2013, bringing the luxury hotel portfolio to 68 locations in 26 countries.

"These new additions are testimony to the attractiveness of our JW Marriott brand among hotel developers even in today's difficult economic and financial environment," said Ed Fuller, president & managing director of international lodging for Marriott International.

"This brand has defined itself as providing luxury for the times,” he continued. "It has proven itself over the years as a luxury brand that provides purposeful and meaningful services, amenities and environments. These attributes are designed to assist our guests in achieving their personal goals while advancing their ambitions without distraction or disruption whether they are traveling on business or pleasure.

"We're also proud that customers rank our JW Marriott branded hotels among the best service providers in business,” Mr. Fuller said, pointing to a recent BusinessWeek magazine survey that ranked the brand among the world’s top 25 customer-oriented brands, one of only three hotel brands to be included on the list. Earlier, a JD Powers survey ranked JW Marriott among the world’s top three luxury brands.

Mr. Fuller said that while JW Marriott properties are "at home" in most major destination cities, emerging luxury markets and established resort locations, they are especially welcomed in developing areas where their anticipatory and comprehensive services create an environment that helps pave the way for business getting done.

He noted that among future openings in the next 48 months are JW Marriott branded hotels in countries like Kazakhstan, Colombia, India, China and Vietnam.

The three JW Marriott properties announced today include:

• 150-room JW Marriott Hotel Cuzco, Peru—Marriott International will manage the hotel under a long-term agreement with Inversiones La Rioja, S.A., and will be located at the culturally significant intersection of San Agustin and ruinas streets in the heart of Cuzco’s colonial district on a site of the former Convent of San Agustin.

• 370-room JW Marriott Hotel Tripoli, Libya—This hotel is owned by Daewoo Tripoli Investment and Development Co., a joint venture between Daewoo engineering and Construction and Oyia Co. and will be managed by Marriott under a long-term contract. The 36-story, innovatively-designed hotel will be located in Tripoli’s new central business district and is expected to become a prominent landmark in the northern section of the city, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

• 371-room JW Marriott Coco Beach Resort & Spa, Puerto Rico—Owners of this resort are Redwood Capital Advisors and Coco Beach LLC, a joint venture of Empresas Diaz and Janna Hospitality. The resort will be located approximately 20 miles east of San Juan’s Luis Munoz Marin International Airport on a 27-acre oceanfront site and will be part of an existing 1,000-acre, master-planned development. Among its amenities will be a world-class 17,775 square foot spa and fitness center. Included in the development is 36-hole championship, Tom Kite-designed golf course.

JW Marriott hotels are authentic and focused on fostering a sense of well-being through their state-of-the-art fitness centers and award-winning spas and imaginative cuisine. Service is a blend of elegance and informality that is both familiar and comfortable in a luxury setting. Their ambience and service delivery is restrained and tasteful without excessive formality and with the warm vibrancy of the hotel’s locale is reflected throughout the property.

The first JW Marriott hotel opened in Washington, D.C. in February 1984 as a tribute to JW Marriott Sr., founder of Marriott Corporation, the predecessor to Marriott International. Elsewhere around the world, the first JW Marriott hotel opened in:
• Asia—JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong (1989)
• Europe—JW Marriott Hotel Bucharest (1993)
• The Middle East—JW Marriott Hotel Dubai (1993)
• Latin America—JW Marriott Hotel Mexico City (1996)

Today, 43 JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts are located in 20 countries. This year, JW Marriott hotels will open in Hangzhou China; and Bangalore, India. Earlier this year, a JW Marriott hotel opened in Shenzhen, China.