The Middle East and Africa market has been on an upward trend for Marriott International Inc. Recent global sales results reported a 22% year-on-year growth, the company has announced a 8.3% increase in RevPAR figures across the Middle East and Africa for 2012 compared to the previous year. There was also a 5.3% growth in occupancy. 
The company’s development pipeline in the Middle East and Africa continues to grow with the announcement of five new property signings, adding a further 1,027 rooms to its system; the 186-room Rabat Marriott Hotel will open in Morocco next year, while the 181-room Constantine Marriott Hotel in Algeria and 210-room Courtyard by Marriott Riyadh North in Saudi Arabia will open in 2015, and the 300-room JW Marriott Casablanca in Morocco and 150-room Lagos Marriott Hotel in Nigeria in 2016.
The new hotels will bring the total number of announced properties joining Marriott International’s Middle East and Africa portfolio by 2017 to 48 and are indicative of the company’s growth plans, in particular for Africa.
Alex Kyriakidis, president and managing director of Marriott International, Middle East and Africa, said: “These results clearly demonstrate continued growth of the region’s hospitality industry, with Marriott International’s growing RevPAR and room occupancy rates. We also plan to hire over 21,000 associates over the next five years in order to meet the needs of our growing portfolio.”
