Marriott International, Inc. MAR entered into an agreement with Mullen Real Estate Capital to introduce a JW Marriott All-Inclusive resort in Costa Elena, a luxury resort-residential community in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

The property is set for conversion in July 2025 and expected to become part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio by Spring 2026. The project will be one of the first JW Marriott all-inclusive resorts worldwide, reflecting the company's focus on luxury experiences.

Marriott Strengthens Presence in Costa Rica

This strategic move expands the company's presence in Costa Rica with the introduction of one of the first JW Marriott All-Inclusive Resorts. The project marks the beginning of a collaboration with Mullen Real Estate Capital, a key player in the all-inclusive sector within the CALA region.

Located about 49 miles from Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport, the resort will feature 415 guest rooms, 11 dining options and 44,000 square feet of water amenities, including 17 swimming pools. The property aims to offer a high-end experience for visitors.

Costa Rica has seen increasing interest from luxury travelers and investors over the past few years. In February 2025, MAR opened its 50th luxury hotel in the region, Nekajui, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve. In 2024, the company signed 10 new deals, adding 1,086 rooms. This brings the development pipeline to 15 properties with 1,776 rooms. As of year-end, the company has 22 open properties across 15 brands, with more openings expected in 2025.

Marriott’s Focus on Global Expansion

Marriott is a leading company in the luxury and lifestyle space, which includes brands that own nearly 9,361 properties in 144 countries and territories as of 2024-end. With an extensive portfolio and strong brand position, its extensive focus on expanding presence worldwide and capitalizing on the demand for hotels in international markets is encouraging.

In 2024, Marriott expanded its portfolio with net room growth of 6.8%, adding 109,000 rooms globally. This move strengthened its presence across key markets, bringing the global total to more than 1.71 million rooms. At the end of the fourth quarter of 2024, the company’s development pipeline totaled 3,766 hotels with approximately 577,000 rooms, with more than 229,000 rooms being under construction. Notably, this hospitality company is mainly trying to strengthen its presence outside the United States, especially in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.

MAR’s Price Performance

Shares of this worldwide hospitality company, which is focused on lodging management and franchising, have lost 11.6% so far this year compared with the Zacks Hotels and Motels industry’s 8.3% decline. Although the company has underperformed the industry in the said period, it is likely to benefit from robust global travel demand, driving growth in international markets and steady performance in the United States and Canada, along with solid global booking trends.

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Also, increased business transient demand and leisure transient RevPAR are encouraging. The company entered 2025 with strong business momentum. At the end of 2024, global group revenues were tracking 6% higher for 2025 and 10% higher for 2026, driven by increases in both room nights and ADR.

MAR’s Zacks Rank and Stocks to Consider

Marriott currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

Some better-ranked stocks in the Zacks Consumer Discretionary sector include:

RCI Hospitality Holdings, Inc. RICK currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

RICK delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of negative 62.9%, on average. The stock has declined 18.2% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for RICK’s 2025 sales and EPS indicates growth of 2.5% and 1,278.8%, respectively, from year-ago levels.

Mattel, Inc. MAT currently flaunts a Zacks Rank #1. MAT delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 37.6%, on average. The stock has declined 0.4% in the past year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MAT’s 2025 sales and EPS indicates growth of 1.4% and 4.9%, respectively, from year-ago levels.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. RCL currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). RCL delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 15.7%, on average. The stock has surged 61% in the past year.

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Marriott International, Inc. (MAR) : Free Stock Analysis Report

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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