Marriott International signed an agreement with Jamuna Builders Limited to operate the 700-room JW Marriott Hotel Dhaka.

Jamuna Builders Limited is a real estate sister concern of the Jamuna Group - Bangladesh’s largest diversified conglomerate. JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts is Marriott International’s luxury brand that consists of 59 exceptional properties in gateway cities and distinctive resort locations around the world. JW Marriott Hotel Dhaka will be part of a mixed-use development that will also include retail and office components, and construction of the hotel is already under way.

Speaking at the signing in Dhaka Simon Cooper, Marriott International’s president and managing director Asia Pacific, said: “We are delighted to be working with Jamuna Builders Limited to open this wonderful JW Marriott hotel in Dhaka. Bangladesh has a thriving economy and the country’s GDP has been growing at approximately 6 percent a year for the past five years. We absolutely believe that now is the right time to bring our luxury JW Marriott brand to Bangladesh and in Jamuna Builders Limited we have an owner with a great vision and drive to make this a truly stunning hotel in a great location.”

The JW Marriott Dhaka will be located in an emerging location in the middle of the city and will feature three restaurants, two bars, a spa with eight treatment rooms, and 2,280 square meters of meeting space. The hotel is expected to be a prime destination for luxury dining and will become the social centre in Dhaka, offering unforgettable travel experiences with the intuitive service, thoughtful amenities and refined design that have become synonymous with the JW Marriott brand worldwide.

Mr. Md. Nurul Islam, Jamuna Group’s Chairman, said: “Considering the huge growth of international business transactions in Bangladesh, especially in Dhaka Mega City and the present economic growth, the number of existing international hotels is not enough to meet the demand.

“The existing service facilities and amenities in hotel and tourism industry cannot completely meet the total demand of business travellers and tourists. We feel that to meet the growing demand of this service industry, we should contribute and we have started developing the largest five-star hotel in Bangladesh – the JW Marriott hotel, in conjunction with Marriott International.”

Mr. Md. Nurul Islam expressed his thanks to Mr. Simon Cooper, the president and managing director of Marriott International, Asia Pacific to approve his project as the JW Marriott Dhaka. He continued: “With its proposed 700 rooms, this hotel will be one of the largest JW Marriott hotels in Asia and will be a landmark of architectural beauty. The site is very close to the international airport and other important areas and institutions in Dhaka.”

A large number of international retail, garment, energy and telecommunications companies, including WalMart, JC Penney, Marks & Spencer, Halliburton, CK, BP, Shell, Exxon Mobil, Motorola, Ericsson and Siemens have offices in Dhaka and are contributing to Bangladesh’s fast growing and diverse economy.

Dhaka is well connected to India, the Middle East and South East Asia and more than 30 international airlines fly into Dhaka which has seen passenger traffic grow from approximately 3.2 million in 2005 to 6 million passengers in 2012.

Simon Cooper continued: “With the existing hotel market currently underserved in Dhaka and with the future growth in the infrastructure sector, the demand for quality hotel accommodation in the city is growing strongly. This will be Marriott International’s second hotel in the city as we already have a Courtyard hotel under construction which we expect will open next year.”

JW Marriott is part of Marriott International’s luxury portfolio and consists of beautiful properties in gateway cities and distinctive resort locations around the world. These elegant hotels cater to today’s sophisticated, self-assured travelers, offering them the quiet luxury they seek in a warmly authentic, relaxed atmosphere lacking in pretense. JW Marriott properties artfully provide highly crafted, anticipatory experiences that are reflective of their locale so that their guests have the time to focus on what is most important to them. Currently, there are 59 JW Marriott hotels in 23 countries; by 2015 the portfolio is expected to encompass 79 properties in 28 countries.