Marriott rolls out third property in Pune

Marriott has opened a 179-key property Courtyard in the city to serve the needs of the business travelers which is developed by Mumbai-based The Advantage Raheja group. This new Courtyard hotel is the third Marriott property in the city and the second of the brand. This is Marriott's 15th property across India.

A third Courtyard at Chakan and a JW Marriott are under construction and will be opened soon. On this occasion, the company has also announced the launch of its economy brand Fairfield Inn in India. Marriott has 18 more under construction across the country.

Speaking on this occasion, Craig Smith, chief operating officer and vice president, Marriott International-Asia Pacific and Australia said, "For Marriott International India and China are the main growth engines. We have developed over 100 properties across Asia-Pacific region. Currently, we are coming up with 57 hotels in China and 35 in India. Courtyard is our fastest growing brand in India and the group currently has 4,000 rooms, with another 8,500 rooms under construction."

He added, "Every market has reacted differently. In India, we are growing by 20 per cent every year. The market conditions in Asia are defiantly most favourable than any part of the world. MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) is the fastest growing segment for us.”

Rajeev Menon, area vice president - India, Malaysia, Maldives and Australia, added, "With the influx of IT, ITES, manufacturing and automobile industries we see tremendous potential in Pune in the coming years. Given the demand this is our third offering from Marriott International in Pune. With this launch Marriott International continues its growth story in the city. India was one of the fastest growing markets and accounted for 10 per cent of Marriott’s annual revenue of $ 2.5 billion from the APAC region."

He added, "We have plans to develop resorts at holiday destinations too, but our pipeline is more of MICE(meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) and mid-segment hotels. Marriott has signed a deal with its Delhi-based joint venture partner Samhi Hotels, to set up 15 Fairfield Inn properties across India in the next few years.

It has plans to develop resorts at the tourist destinations in India. The property also features four banquet halls, a fitness centre, an outdoor swimming pool, party deck, a business centre and an executive lounge.