Business & money ·
Report dated 26 March 2009. The original was in Arabic.
Marriott International announced a new JW Marriott hotel in Libya, together with two others under the same brand in Peru and Puerto Rico. On opening, planned for 2011, the JW Marriott Tripoli would be the group’s first hotel in Libya. The announcement was made to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the JW Marriott brand.
The three properties would take the number of hotels planned under the brand to 25 by 2013, giving Marriott International a presence in 68 locations across 26 countries.
“These new hotels are evidence of developers’ interest in the luxury JW brand even in these difficult financial and economic conditions,” said Ed Fuller, President and Managing Director of International Lodging at Marriott International.
The hotel
In Tripoli, Marriott was to operate a 370-room luxury hotel under a long-term management agreement with Daewoo Tripoli Investment and Development, a joint venture between Daewoo Engineering and Construction and the Oya company.
The 36-storey tower stands in Tripoli’s new business district and was expected to become a landmark of the northern, Mediterranean-facing part of the capital. The same district holds the city’s two main commercial centres, the Emad Center and Al Fatah Tower, along with government offices and embassies.
“We are pleased to be managing the first internationally branded hotel in Tripoli,” Fuller said. “This city has a rich heritage and history and is emerging as an important commercial centre in Libya, and we look forward to taking part in building its future.”
O Chang-eun, General Manager of Daewoo Tripoli Investment and Development, said: “We are pleased with our partnership with JW Marriott to manage a hotel that will become a landmark in Tripoli, and we are confident that the Marriott International team can operate and develop it into one of the best places to stay in the country.”
What was planned inside
Rooms were to carry premium beds, linen and bathroom amenities, and to be equipped with flat-screen televisions, high-speed internet, a safe and tea and coffee facilities. The hotel would include an executive floor of 80 rooms with its own lounge, and an open lobby with areas set aside for coffee and for meetings.
The brand
The first JW Marriott opened in Washington DC in February 1984, named in tribute to the founder of the company that later became Marriott International. The brand reached Asia with a Hong Kong opening in 1989, Europe with Bucharest in 1993, the Middle East with Dubai in the same year, and Latin America with Mexico City in 1996.
At the time of the announcement, Fuller said JW Marriott hotels were due to open over the following 48 months in markets including Kazakhstan, Colombia, India, China and Vietnam.
About this report
When was the JW Marriott Tripoli announced?
In March 2009, alongside two other JW Marriott properties in Peru and Puerto Rico. The announcement was made to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the JW Marriott brand.
When was the JW Marriott Tripoli due to open?
In 2011, according to the announcement. On opening it would have been Marriott International's first hotel in Libya.
Where was the JW Marriott Tripoli to be built?
In Tripoli's new business district, close to the city's two main commercial centres (the Emad Center and Al Fatah Tower) as well as to government offices and embassies.
How large was the planned hotel?
Thirty-six storeys and 370 rooms, including an executive floor of 80 rooms with its own lounge, under a long-term management agreement with Daewoo Tripoli Investment and Development.
Where did the JW Marriott brand start?
The first JW Marriott opened in Washington DC in February 1984, named for the founder of the company that later became Marriott International. The brand reached Hong Kong in 1989, Bucharest and Dubai in 1993, and Mexico City in 1996.