Marriott International has signed an agreement that will significantly expand its portfolio in Japan.
The US-based hotel group has agreed to manage five of Mori Trust Group’s hotels in Japan under its Marriott Hotels & Resorts brand, all of which are located in scenic destinations. This will double the upscale brand’s presence in the country and increase Marriott International’s overall Japanese portfolio by one-third to 20 hotels.
“We are delighted to work with Mori Trust again. As the world’s third largest outbound travel destination and a key source market for Marriott International, Japan is very important for us,” Craig S. Smith, Marriott’s president & managing director for Asia Pacific said at the signing ceremony in Tokyo.
“Marriott Hotels is our company’s flagship brand and most suitable for such a venture. The agreements not only boost our footprint by one-third, but also cater to the next generation of travellers, especially those who are increasingly interested in exploring beyond the traditionally popular cities of Japan.”
Over the next two years, Mori Trust Group will renovate five existing Laforet properties and rebrand them as Marriotts, offering approximately 840 rooms.
Laforet Biwako in Shiga prefecture will become the Lake Biwa Marriott Hotel, Laforet Nanki-Shirahama in Wakayama prefecture will become the Nanki-Shirahama Marriott Hotel, Laforet Yamanakako in Yamanashi prefecture will be renamed the Fuji Marriott Hotel, Laforet Shuzenji in Shizuoka prefecture will be rebranded as the Izu Marriott Hotel Shuzenji, and Laforet Naka-Karuizawa in Nagano prefecture will become the Karuizawa Marriott Hotel.
These properties form part of the large-scale hotel renovation plan announced by Mori Trust Group in October 2015, which will involve an investment of approximately JPY16 billion (US$142 million).
The agreements extend a relationship that has already seen Marriott and Mori Trust work together on the Tokyo Marriott Hotel, Courtyard by Marriott Tokyo Station Hotel and Courtyard by Marriott Shin-Osaka Station Hotel.
“We are delighted to see our strategic collaboration with Marriott International grow even stronger with this new partnership. Mori Trust Group hopes to add value to each destination by merging the essence of Marriott Hotels with the regions’ natural resources, culture and history, to better showcase them to both domestic and global travel markets,” said Miwako Date, executive managing director of Mori Trust Group and president & CEO of Mori Trust Hotels & Resorts.
Marriott International currently operates 15 hotels in Japan across five of its brands: Marriott Hotels, Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Courtyard and the Autograph Collection.
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