Marriott International announced strong growth across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) in 2025, highlighting a surge in new hotel signings and property openings that reinforced its regional expansion strategy.
The company reported more than 230 organic signings during the year, representing over 31,000 rooms across the EMEA region. In addition, Marriott added 170 properties and nearly 24,000 rooms, contributing to a 7.8 percent net rooms growth year over year.
The figures signal sustained demand for branded hospitality assets across diverse markets spanning Western Europe, the Gulf states and multiple African economies. Growth was driven by a combination of new build developments and conversions of existing properties into Marriott branded hotels.
Industry analysts view the expansion as part of Marriott’s broader global strategy to deepen its footprint in high growth and emerging markets. The EMEA region, in particular, has become a focal point due to rising tourism flows, infrastructure investment and expanding middle class travel demand.
In the Middle East, large scale tourism initiatives and event driven travel have supported hotel development pipelines. Several Gulf countries continue to invest heavily in hospitality infrastructure as part of long term economic diversification plans aimed at reducing reliance on hydrocarbons.
Across parts of Africa, improving connectivity, urbanization and business travel growth have also contributed to increased hotel signings. International brands have been steadily increasing their presence on the continent, often through management agreements and franchise partnerships with local developers.
Europe remains a mature but resilient market, with growth supported by lifestyle brand expansion, luxury segment development and conversions of independent hotels into global systems that benefit from loyalty programs and distribution platforms.
Marriott’s net rooms growth of 7.8 percent in EMEA underscores the company’s ability to execute at scale despite broader macroeconomic uncertainties, including inflationary pressures and geopolitical tensions in certain markets. The company’s asset light business model, which focuses on management and franchise agreements rather than property ownership, continues to facilitate rapid expansion while limiting capital exposure.
The 2025 performance reflects strong investor appetite for hospitality assets aligned with established global brands. Developers are often drawn to Marriott’s portfolio of brands, loyalty ecosystem and distribution reach, which can enhance occupancy rates and revenue per available room.
Looking ahead, Marriott’s pipeline in EMEA is expected to remain robust, with continued emphasis on luxury, premium and select service segments. The company is also likely to deepen its presence in secondary cities and emerging destinations where travel demand is rising but international brand penetration remains relatively low.
As global travel patterns normalize and expand, Marriott’s record year in EMEA positions it to capitalize on sustained tourism recovery and long term structural growth in the hospitality sector.
