By Ivan Padilla*
No doubt, travel is back with everything in this post-pandemic moment.
The upturn in tourism explains the investment of so many hotel groups.
This week, for example, the Fasano in São Paulo’s Itaim neighborhood started operating, the group’s second unit within the same city.
Yesterday it was Marriott’s turn to announce, in an event at Casa Gabriel in São Paulo, the opening of five new hotels in Brazil.
With a younger and music-related identity from W Hotels, there will be two units, one in São Paulo scheduled for 2024 and another in Gramado, in the mountainous region of Rio Grande do Sul, which should open in 2025.
The biggest news is in Maricá, in the Lakes region of Rio de Janeiro.
In partnership with the Maraey tourism complex, three hotels will be built:
- a JW Marriott, with a concept focused on mind and body health in an all-inclusive format;
- a Ritz Carlton Reserve, a more sophisticated one; and
- an Autograph Collection with the Rock in Rio theme.
All of them are planned for 2026.
BRAZIL IS A STRATEGIC MARKET FOR THE GROUP
“We are very focused on the luxury segment,” said Diana Plazas-Trowbridge, Marriott’s Chief Sales Marketing Officer for the Caribbean and Latin America, during the event in São Paulo.
“Last year, the opening of the JW Marriott in São Paulo gave us a good entry into that market in Brazil.”
The presentation event of the new hotels at Casa Gabriel mixed national references with the group’s international banners.
Chef Alex Atala’s menu included flower ceviche, pirarucu with tucupi and tapioca, and pupunha fettuccine with popcorn powder.
Award-winning bartender Kennedy Nascimento prepared drinks inspired by the flags of the group’s hotels.
The highlight was The Roots, for W Hotels, with Singleton 12 years, Ypioca 160, Sicilian lemon, peach liqueur, and maple syrup.
Between sips and forks, Plazas-Trowbridge says she is particularly excited about the Maricá developments.
“It will be the first Ritz Carlton Reserve in South America. Brazilians usually take long trips, but we are betting on this incentive for shorter destinations,” she says.
The presence of hotels from different brands of the group aims to attract tourists, of course.
But also to show the chain’s hotels to Brazilians.
“Brazilian travelers look for luxury hotels abroad, but now they know they can find good options here too,” says Plazas-Trowbridge.
“Brazilians will be able to recognize a W in Costa Rica, New York, or London because they will have hotels from the chain around here at their disposal,” he says.
The domestic market is strategic for the group for another reason as well.
“Of the nearly 180 million Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program members, nearly 1 million are Brazilians.”
OVER 600 HOTELS IN 67 COUNTRIES
The group’s results are a good indicator of the return of travel.
Marriott reported revenues of US$4.1 billion, compared to US$2.6 billion in 2021, a 52% growth.
There are 602 hotels in 67 countries.
Another 208 are under construction or in planning, from Barbados to Belgrade.
At least 35 hotels, from Kenya to Singapore, Japan to Mexico, should be opened this year.
The group has eight brands, each with its own identity, all in the luxury sector:
The Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Bvlgari Hotels & Resorts, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, Edition, The Luxury Collection, JW Marriott, and W Hotels.
In the Caribbean and Latin America region, as of the first quarter of 2023, Marriott had 336 properties, including hotels, residences, and timeshares, in 37 countries for 69,070 rooms.
For now.
*Casual and Special Editor Ivan Padilla has a degree in journalism from PUC and a post-graduate degree in international relations from the Universitat Autonòoma de Barcelona. He was a special reporter for Época, executive editor of Época Negócios, chief editor of GQ Brasil, and editorial director of VIP.
With information from Exame