Marriott International recently announced the company will be doubling its portfolio of luxury hotels through the recent merger with Starwood Hotels & Resorts. The Marriott International Luxury Brands group now includes St. Regis, The Luxury Collection and W Hotels brands, in addition to hallmark brands The Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, EDITION and JW Marriott.

The hotel company is known worldwide for providing global travelers with diversified, high-end accommodations and experiences. While the luxury brand is currently present in 61 countries, it is scheduled to open nearly 30 luxury hotels in 2017 with 180 hotels in its development pipeline, representing 20 new countries including Iceland, Nepal and Cuba.

“With luxury travel up nearly 50 percent over the past five years, we see a long runway for growth at the high-end and have a world-class, dedicated luxury structure in place to nurture and strengthen this coveted portfolio of eight diverse luxury brands,” said Tina Edmundson, global brand officer, Marriott International.

After the acquisition of 11 Starwood brands, the Marriott company now houses 30 brands which it has begun to identify as either “classic” or “distinctive,” with further categories including luxury, premium, select and longer stays.