Luxury accounted for 19% of Marriott International’s signings in 2025 in Asia Pacific excluding China, with upscale forays into new destinations such as Fiji and Sri Lanka.
The world’s largest hotel chain announced its premium positioning at a media event this week, as it reported its third consecutive year of record-breaking development pipeline in the region.
“When it comes to luxury, Asia Pacific is absolutely at the forefront. In fact, over 30% of our pipeline in the world of luxury sits here. This is plain context for where Asia Pacific is headed,” said Rajeev Menon, president, Asia Pacific (excluding China).
Even excluding China, the luxury growth is no less impressive. Nearly a fifth of deals in this region were in the luxury segment, with the highest number of signings for JW Marriott, followed by The Ritz-Carlton and Luxury Collection.
Marriott is also bringing its luxury brands to new destinations in the region. Menon shared that Ritz-Carlton will debut in Fiji come 2030, as well as a Ritz-Carlton Reserve set for Sri Lanka that same year.
New soft brand drives regional penetration
While established luxury names enter new frontiers, new regional strategies are driving velocity and penetration in key destinations.
“The Series by Marriott brand is sometimes placed in the upscale segment, but it’s a soft brand, which makes it easy for us to bring in conversions,” said Gautam Bhandari, Marriott’s chief development officer, Asia Pacific excluding Greater China.
Predominantly South Asian as of today, the “regionally created” brand is a collection of local homegrown properties launched in November 2025.
Cristiano Rinaldi, Marriott’s chief lodging officer, said: “What makes this incredibly unique is how it gives us access to places we never had presence before, and allows us to [deliver] authentic local experiences.”
Of the 42 hotels currently in the collection, 37 are in South Asia, one in Japan and four in the US.
India hots up
Beyond the luxury segment, India is the top market in Marriott’s regional operating portfolio with 204 properties, followed by Japan with 120.
As of end 2025, Marriott counted 733 properties in its regional operating portfolio, and 400 in the pipeline.
“If we go back 10 years and look at how analysts globally report on APAC numbers, it was mostly about what’s happening in China.
“In the past two or three years however, the conversation has shifted to ‘here’s what’s happening in China’ – but equally importantly, or in some cases, more importantly, this is what’s happening in Asia Pacific excluding China,” said Menon.
In 2025, Marriott launched 109 properties in Asia Pacific excluding China, bringing the number of operating properties in this region to 733. The year also saw 187 deals signed in this region, adding 28,000 rooms to the pipeline.
Conversions continued to be a strategic pillar, accounting for 35% of total signed deals, reinforcing Marriott’s value proposition for owners seeking speed-to-market and access to Marriott’s global distribution ecosystem.