Marriott International said on Monday it plans to open two new Residence Inn properties in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
The hotel group said in a statement that the openings are in response to increased demand, highlighted by a 13 percent rise in year on year RevPAR rates within its own extended-stay portfolio, as well as increased demand from the region’s Gen Y demographic.
The openings are part of a pipeline of upcoming Residence Inn by Marriott, and Marriott Executive Apartments extended-stay properties within the region.
By 2018 the company said it will see the opening of 12 hotels across the Middle East and Africa, which together will add 1,228 rooms to the extended stay sector.
Within the Marriott Executive Apartments brand alone, six properties in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Gabon, and Ethiopia will open in the next couple of years, doubling the brand’s presence in the region.
The Residence Inn by Marriott Kuwait City will offer 139 suites, and the Residence Inn by Marriott Jazan in Saudi Arabia will be home to 79 suites.
“The region’s extended-stay segment continues to go from strength to strength, boosted by both economic growth as well as a new generation of travelers,” said Alex Kyriakidis, president and managing director, Marriott International Middle East and Africa.
“While we are seeing rising demand for extended-stay accommodation across the board, it’s particularly important to note that nearly a quarter of our Gen-Y guests stay in our MEA hotels for five or more nights – the highest portion of Gen-Y extended-stay travelers of any region in the world.”
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