Marriott plans 75 Fairfield Inns in 10 years
12 Nov 2010
Canada-based hotel chain Marriott International, the biggest in North America, on Thursday said it will set up 75 hotels under its Fairfield Inn & Suites business brand in India in the next 10 years.
The company plans to get the brand into the country through the franchise route and said it is looking at multiple hotels under the same brand in metros across the country.
Arne Sorenson, president and chief executive of Marriott International, indicated at a press conference in Mumbai on Thursday that the Fairfield brand will be placed on a lower rung than its volume brand Courtyard by Marriott in the country.
''India is a growing market and we see great potential here. The country together has just 1.40 lakh rooms, which is far less compared to the demand,'' he said.
Sorenson said that Fairfield Inn will complement the existing Courtyard by Marriott brand in the market.
Of late, the mid-market hotels segment in India has been seeing the entry of several large brands from across the world. These include Starwood, Hilton, Marriott and Accor, among others.
Even a domestic brand like the Taj has announced its plans to add a large number of properties in the segment, while the Leela has recently announced that it would launch its Leela Garden brand in the mid-market segment by 2015.