Marriott International is planning to open seven new hotels in Scotland over the next four years. The new hotels will cover five of Marriott's 30 brands, including W Hotels, Moxy, Aloft, Courtyard and Residence Inn, with three Moxy hotels at as-yet-unannounced locations.
The new hotels will boost the group's room count in Scotland by almost 75 percent. "We remain optimistic for the future growth of our company and hospitality overall in Scotland," Marriott International’s SVP and Global Development Officer Kevin Montano said in a statement.
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon welcomed the proposals during her meetings with representatives of the company in New York, including Montano and Director of Global Brand Management for W Hotels Worldwide Sarah Doyle.
On Sturgeon’s five-day visit to America to promote trade and investment, she will tour Starlab, Marriott’s Design and Innovation Studio, the company’s research and design lab. The research center tests new technologies for Marriott’s hotels, including keyless room entry, which was first used in W Hotels.
"Despite the uncertainty brought about by Brexit, Scotland's economy and tourism sectors remain strong and I am delighted that big businesses like Marriott International are choosing to show their confidence by investing here,” Sturgeon said in a statement. "Scotland's performance in hotel markets is exceptionally strong, with latest figures showing that we are outperforming 11 of the main 12 European hotel markets, including Paris, Madrid and Berlin - only London was higher."
The first minister’s itinerary also includes a discussion with Marriott International on their plans to more than triple Moxy hotel locations in Scotland to go from one to four by 2019.
Marriot International plans for the first W Hotel in Edinburgh to be not only the largest, but also the highest profile hotel opening among the list.