BERLIN — Marriott International is ramping up its brand development throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa in response to growing demand across multiple hotel segments.
Jerome Briet, Marriott's chief development officer for Europe, Middle East and Africa, said the company sees untapped potential in the midscale segment in Europe. It's the reason why Marriott debuted in its Four Points Flex by Sheraton brand in Europe in early 2024 and is quickly scaling the brand across the continent.
“There is an increasing demand for that segment. We’ve seen our competitors be successful in that segment, and not just the big international firms but very often local operators who drive local customers into their hotels,” Briet said in a video interview at the International Hospitality Investment Forum EMEA.
In the last 18 months, Marriott's Four Points Flex by Sheraton brand has signed more than 40 deals in Europe.
“It has become in no time the fastest-growing brand of Marriott in EMEA. We are truly excited by it for a multitude of reasons,” he said.
Briet is optimistic about hotel brand opportunities in Africa and the Middle East. He said the region has seen “two years of back-to-back records of breaking [hotel] signings. … the Middle East is on, I think, its fourth.”
Morocco and Egypt are performing well, and so is East Africa.
“Kenya, all of the lodges portfolio. We opened the JW Marriott Masai Mara about a year ago. That’s been incredibly successful … and we’ve just signed a Ritz-Carlton in the Masai Mara,” he added.
For more of the interview with Marriott's Jerome Briet, watch the video embedded above.