Marriott to double presence in Europe

Marriott International Inc., the largest U.S. hotel chain, plans to double the number of rooms in Europe to 80,000 by 2015.

"Europe is the largest lodging market in the world and holds enormous potential for Marriott," Amy McPherson, managing director of the company's European unit, told Bloomberg News in an e-mailed statement today. "We are confident we are well-positioned to achieve this ambitious expansion goal."

Marriott, based in Bethesda, Md., currently operates 174 hotels in 24 European countries, which generate annual revenue of almost $3 billion. It will open hotels in Moscow, Budapest and Ankara, Turkey, this year.

The company, which operates hotels and timeshare resorts across 66 countries and territories, has proportionally fewer overseas hotel rooms than rivals such as Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. Three-quarters of its 35,000 full-service hotel rooms under development are outside the U.S.