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Marriott is celebrating 50 years of managing hotels in Europe. In 1975, the hotel giant opened its first property outside of North America and in Europe. The Amsterdam Marriott Hotel was Marriott’s first European offering and its still welcoming guests today. A lot has changed since then. Marriott now manages 9,463 hotels across 144 countries and territories.
The Amsterdam Marriott Hotel was opened by J.W. Marriott, Jr. (he was Chief Executive Officer at the time who now serves as Chairman Emeritus). The hotel stood out for its unparalleled city center location and was the city’s largest hotel at the time with 396 rooms. With the success of this hotel, Marriott quickly expanded throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Some notable dates for Marriott include:
- 1975: Brand debut and opening of Amsterdam Marriott Hotel (Marriott’s first hotel in Europe)
- 1980: Opening of Riyadh Marriott Hotel in Saudi Arabia (Marriott’s first hotel in the Middle East)
- 1982: Opening of Cairo Marriott (Marriott’s first hotel in Africa)
- 1985: Opening of London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square (Marriott’s first hotel in London)
- 1988: Opening of Hamburg Marriott Hotel (Marriott’s first hotel in Germany)
- 1993: Opening of JW Marriott Hotel Dubai (Marriott’s first hotel in Dubai)
- 2016: Opening of Kigali Marriott Hotel in Rwanda (Marriott’s first hotel in sub-Saharan Africa)
Satya Anand, President of Marriott International EMEA, said:
Our growth across the region all started 50 years ago with the opening of Amsterdam Marriott Hotel, our first flagship hotel in Europe. We now have a fantastic portfolio of over 1,300 hotels, resorts, residences and lodges in 80 countries and territories across EMEA, stretching from Tromsø in Norway to Cape Town in South Africa. We look forward to continuing to build our presence across the region, offering our guests and members even more travel experiences and accommodation options for every trip purpose.”
David Marriott, Chairman of the Board of Marriott International, added:
Fifty years ago, my dad attended the opening of this beautiful property, marking a historic milestone for Marriott, as we expanded beyond North America for the first time since our founding in 1927. It is an honor for me to be present as we celebrate this milestone anniversary, and I’m so proud of the team for their enduring commitment to service excellence.”
Anthony’s Take: I have stayed at Marriott hotels across Europe and love that I have choices just about everywhere I go. Happy 50th anniversary in Europe, Marriott!
(Image Credits: Marriott.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
