MARRIOTT has opened its 2,500th hotel worldwide, with the completion of the 950-room JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, in Phoenix, Arizona. The milestone marks a year that has seen the world's largest hospitality company open 128 hotels and more than 20,000 rooms through the third quarter of 2002. This is in line with previously announced plans to add 25,000 to 30,000 rooms per year in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Major properties scheduled to open in 2003 include the 916-room Renaissance Grand Hotel in St Louis; the 237-room St Kitts Marriott Royal Beach Resort; the 342-room JW Marriott Shanghai; and Grande Lakes Resort in Orlando, which consists of a 584-room Ritz-Carlton and a 1,000-room JW Marriott Hotel.
http://www.marriott.com