Lodging Econometrics’ (LE) year-end reports for 2016 show Marriott maintains the largest development pipeline in the U.S. with 1,301 projects and 167,641 guestrooms. Following its acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts last year, Marriott has acquired 10 new full-service brands that further expand its U.S. portfolio to 25 brands. The acquisition also boosted its total pipeline by 35 percent. The Fairfield Inn brand boasts the largest pipeline with 297 projects and 28,284 guestrooms.
A total of 471 projects and 65,924 guestrooms are currently under construction, which accounts for more than 30 percent of all projects under construction in the U.S. The company also has the most projects scheduled to begin construction in the next 12 months with 705 projects and 85,902 guestrooms. Marriott additionally has 125 projects and 167,641 guestrooms in early planning.
The fourth quarter of 2016, Marriott had 86 projects in construction and announced 197 new projects in the pipeline—both the highest numbers reported by any other franchise company. Marriott and Hilton both opened 79 new hotels this year.
