Marriott International hotel and resort group is to more than double its property portfolio in the Middle East over the next three years.

A total of 16 new hotels are planned in the region, including the Ras Al-Khaimah Marriott Resort & Spa in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which will be part of a larger, mixed-use development on a man-made bay and the 248-bedroom Sharjah Marriott Resort & Spa, situated on a beachfront site close to the border between Sharjah and the Emirate of Ajman.

Ed Fuller, president and managing director of international lodging for Marriott, said: “Middle East tourism is expected to grow significantly over the next decade. We intend to share in this growth by offering a wide range of hotel choices for travellers.”

The portfolio expansion is part of Marriott’s global strategy to increase its portfolio by 85,000 rooms to 100,000 rooms over the next three years, with 30 per cent of this growth coming from outside the US and Canada.

Photograph: The Marriott Jordan