Just a few weeks ago, Marriott announced that we will be more than doubling the number of hotels we have in the Middle East by 2011. On top of that, it was just announced that Marriott will be managing nine more new hotels in Saudi Arabia starting in 2010. I’m really excited because one third of these new Saudi Arabian properties are going to be Courtyards. It’s a real testament to the global power of the brand.

The new Courtyards will be located in the cities of Riyadh and Jeddah. All will feature the brand’s new, modern design and its high standards of quality and service.

I’m really excited to see Courtyard expanding so rapidly in the Middle East. We already have a few Courtyards in the region in cities like Dubai, Kuwait City and one coming early next year in Doha, Qatar. And now that business travel and tourism is booming in that part of the world, we are going to be adding more and more.

I was in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates in 2007 and was able to see for myself the tremendous growth. The skies of Dubai were filled with cranes as far at the eye could see. There is such an atmosphere of excitement and energy in these markets as travelers from around the globe are discovering the region’s cultures for the first time.

And the region is home to some of our top hotels. Our team at the Courtyard Dubai Green Community is led by our General Manage Elaine Watson whose hotel was not only named our International Hotel of the Year in 2007, but she was honored as our International General Manager of the Year. Elaine and her team are very deserving of these awards. They consistently provide stellar service to the guests, give back to their community and do everything they can to go ‘green’ and protect the environment.

Courtyard’s international presence is growing very rapidly. I’ll be sure to keep you updated as the brand continues to expand!

Thanks for helping me keep Courtyard on the go.

Brian