JLL's Hotels & Hospitality Group Respond to Marriott Acquisition of Starwood Hotels
CHICAGO, IL. November 17, 2015 - Commenting on the announcement that Marriott has acquired Starwood Hotels, Mark Wynne Smith, Global CEO of JLL's Hotels & Hospitality Group, said: "This merger has created the world's biggest player in the hotel sector, opening a big gulf between the next largest players, Intercontinental Hotels Group and Hilton.
"We will now start to see further merger activity as other hotel groups seek to match the titanic organisation that Marriott and Starwood have created. Consolidation among the major brand companies has been talked about for a number of years and boards are biting the bullet on the need to merge to achieve further growth in a cost efficient manner. At the moment there are several corporate hotel transactions at various stages. The merger can also be seen in the context of the growth of companies such as Airbnb. The global presence of this merged company will allow it to develop guest centric technologies that other companies may struggle to fund."
About JLL
JLL's Hotels & Hospitality Group serves as the hospitality industry's global leader in real estate services for luxury, upscale, select service and budget hotels; timeshare and fractional ownership properties; convention centres; mixed-use developments and other hospitality properties. The firm's 300 dedicated hotel and hospitality experts partner with investors and owner/operators around the globe to support and shape investment strategies that deliver maximum value throughout the entire lifecycle of an asset. In the last five years, the team completed more transactions than any other hotels and hospitality real estate advisor in the world totaling over US $36 billion, while also completing approximately 4,000 advisory, valuation and asset management assignments. The group's hotels and hospitality specialists provide independent and expert advice to clients, backed by industry-leading research. For more news, videos and research from JLL's Hotels & Hospitality Group, please visit: www.jll.com/hospitality or download the Hotels & Hospitality Group's app from the App Store.
Contact:
Lauren Keith, PR Manager
lauren.keith@eu.jll.com
0207 852 4084
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is a global leading lodging company based in Bethesda,Maryland, USA, with more than 4,200 properties in 80 countries and territories. Marriott International reported revenues of nearly $14 billion in fiscal year 2014. The company operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts under 19 brands, including: The Ritz-Carlton®, BVlgari®, EDITION®, JW Marriott®, Autograph Collection® Hotels, Renaissance® Hotels, Marriott Hotels®, Delta Hotels and Resorts®, Marriott Executive Apartments®, Marriott Vacation Club®, Gaylord Hotels®, AC Hotels by Marriott®, Courtyard®, Residence Inn®, SpringHill Suites®, Fairfield Inn & Suites®, TownePlace Suites®, Protea Hotels® and MoxyHotels®. Marriott has been consistently recognized as a top employer and for its superior business ethics. The company also manages the award-winning guest loyalty program, Marriott Rewards® and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® program, which together surpass 50 million members. For more information or reservations, please visit our website at 
