Marriott Worldwide Sales experienced an increase of more than 30 per cent in room nights from the GCC in 2000, said a leading Marriott official while in Bahrain on an annual sales trip.
Samir Daqqaq, vice-president of Marriott Worldwide Sales, USA, Middle East, Africa and South Asia, said the total increase in room sales in the GCC region in 2000 was 33.24 per cent. He was speaking to a group of local travel agents and corporate customers during the annual Senior Management Sales Mission at the Le Royal Meridien Hotel last month. The mission also travelled to Doha, Kuwait, Riyadh, Jeddah and Dubai. 'The increase in room nights is attributable to a number of factors,' said Daqqaq. 'GCC residents have a relatively high disposable income, and are attracted by the range of hotels in the Marriott family; there are over 2,200 worldwide. Also, we are investing a lot in the region, by building new hotels and redeveloping others.' Meanwhile, Marriott will open 14 hotels in the Asia-Pacific region over the next 18 months.