INTERNATIONAL REPORT—Four Marriott International brands—W Hotels, AC Hotels by Marriott, Westin Hotels & Resorts and The Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts—are expanding their presence around the globe. Here’s a look.
W Hotels Heading to Brazil
W Hotels Worldwide has signed the brand’s first hotel in Brazil.
Slated to open in 2021, W São Paulo is slated to join this year’s lineup of W openings in the region, including W Panama (open as of February 2018) and W Costa Rica (opening in late 2018). Owned by HBR Realty, W São Paulo will be more than a first for W as Marriott International’s first luxury hotel in the country.
Designed by Nini Andrade Silva and the W brand’s design team, the hotel will have 179 luxe guestrooms, including two WOW Suites and one Extreme WOW Suite (the brand’s take on the Presidential Suite), as well as two feature restaurants, including rooftop dining and a signature Living Room (lobby) bar.
The property will also have a FIT center and expansive WET Deck (pool).
The opening of W São Paulo will mark the seventh W hotel in the Caribbean and Latin America region alongside W Santiago, W Mexico City, W Costa Rica, W Panama, W Colombia and W Punta de Mita.
Westin Hotels & Resorts To Debut In Maldives
Westin Hotels & Resorts will arrive in the Republic of Maldives with the opening of The Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort.
Developed by Belluna Co. Ltd, Japan and Asia Capital PLC, Sri Lanka, the hotel resort is located on a coral island in the Baa Atoll, a designated UNESCO Biosphere Reserve site.
Led by Milan-based architects PEIA Associati, the resort’s design takes inspiration from the ocean with a visionary approach toward environmental sustainability. All elements of the resort’s design take inspiration from the environment, from the use of natural materials, such as unique shells, to the movement and flow of marine life, including sea turtles and whale sharks.
An aerial view of The Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort reveals an outline in the shape of a fish, a distinctive reflection of the beauty of surrounding marine life, while the arrival jetty is structured to resemble clamshells and the oceans’ waves, according to the company.
The resort has 70 villas and suites, 41 on island and 29 over water. Each villa is shaped with an eco-friendly double roofing to create natural ventilation. Outdoor rainforest showers are a distinctive feature. Poised over the sea on stilts and with an area of almost 2,100 sq. ft. each, the overwater suites are among the largest a resort has to offer in the Baa Atoll region.
AC Hotel San Jose Escazú Opens in Costa Rica
The 126-room AC Hotel San Jose Escazú recently opened in Costa Rica. The new AC Hotel San Jose Escazú is the fourth AC Hotel by Marriott in Central America.
The hotel is seven stories high, has 122 rooms, four suites and five meeting rooms for a total of 2,143 sq. ft. of meeting space for events. Its restaurant AC Kitchen serves European-inspired dishes, while the lobby and trendy AC Lounge have a “chic, open and comfortable” ambiance. The hotel also offers a fitness center, free WiFi and a pet-friendly policy.
The Luxury Collection Debuts in Jordan
The Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts has opened its first property in the Kingdom of Jordan, the Al Manara, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba.
Developed by Eagle Hills Jordan, the 207-room hotel is located in the heart of Aqaba’s newest beachside destination, Saraya Aqaba. It is the second collaboration between Marriott International and Eagle Hills Jordan, following the debut of W Amman earlier this year. An additional two hotel collaborations will follow with the slated opening of The St. Regis Amman and The Westin Saraya Aqaba in the coming months.
The hotel is inspired by Middle Eastern tales and its architecture includes arabesque motifs, invoking the unique and colossal beauty of the country. Samuel Creations/MMac Associates echoed the strong Arabian influence of the architecture when designing the hotel’s interiors—in particular, the manor house.
Each of the 207 rooms at Al Manara, including 43 suites and two villas, include balconies and floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the Red Sea and mountain ranges. Soft furnishings showcase local weaving skills reflecting family traditions that have been handed down through generations. Guestrooms, set with dark wood furniture accented with mother-of-pearl, combine local elements such as a brass-topped coffee table and other decorative items, along with Luxury Collection beds and bathrooms with rainforest showers.