Marriott International has announced plans to open nearly 40 hotels in 2018, adding to the portfolios of its eight flagship brands: Edition, The Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, St. Regis, W Hotels, The Luxury Collection and JW Marriott.

With seven new properties scheduled to launch across three continents, the expansion will mark a pivotal moment for Edition. Created through a partnership with innovator Ian Schrager, the brand is slated to grow from a collection of four to eleven properties by the end of the year. Elsewhere, following The Sanya Edition’s launch in December 2016, Edition’s Asian presence will develop with two additional properties in Shanghai and Bangkok, while the brand’s second and third European hotels will open in Bodrum and Barcelona. The first outpost in the Middle East is also set for Abu Dhabi, and plans to increase its US presence will be rolled out with properties in West Hollywood and New York’s Times Square.

Meanwhile, hot on the heels of the opening of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel de La Paix in Geneva, The Ritz-Carlton has slated six debuts, with new locations including China’s scenic Jiuzhaigou Valley. Besides new openings, renovations to key properties in Berlin and Istanbul will take place, as well as the debut of Zadún – a Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Los Cabos.

St. Regis Hotels & Resorts will celebrate the renovation of The St. Regis Rome in 2018, on top of arriving in Cairo and Amman, while W Hotels is scheduled to reach 75 hotels by 2020. In 2017, the lifestyle brand launched W Shanghai – The Bund, and made its way into the United States with W Bellevue. This term it is set to open in regions from Tel Aviv and Dubai to Brisbane and Panama City.

With a growing ensemble of 102 hotels in more than 30 countries, The Luxury Collection is further expected to debut ten properties in locations such as Los Cabos, Savannah, Vail and Okinawa, adding to a portfolio which features Cristallo, a spa resort nestled in the Italian Dolomites.

Finally, JW Marriott will enter Nashville and the Maldives. Reinforcing its 79-strong collection, and aided by recent openings in Vancouver, Jaipur and Phu Quoc, the brand will oversee multi-million dollar renovations in more than half of its properties, including in Bangkok and London’s Grosvenor House.

“With data showing a global shift in perception around luxury, we are uniquely positioned to provide personalised and truly differentiated experiences that resonate with this next-generation jet setter,” comments Tina Edmundson, Global Brand Officer, Marriott International. “Access is the new authentic, and our brands are portals to diverse cultures and one-off travel moments.”

In addition to a network of properties in 60 countries, Marriott International has long term proposals to expand its global footprint – with 200 hotels in the development pipeline, representing 25 new countries, from Iceland and Nepal to Cuba and the Philippines.

www.marriott.com