Business View Magazine | May 2019

14 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE MAY 2019 have opened 31 Marriott-brand hotels – all low- rise structures – that incorporate prefabricated guestrooms and/or bathrooms, including a Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites in Folsom, Calif.; a Courtyard by Marriott in Pullman, Wash., and three AC Hotels in Oklahoma City, Louisville, Ky., and Chapel Hill, N.C. To date, the largest Marriott- branded modular-built to open is the 354-room, dual-brand Courtyard and Towne Place Suites by Marriott property in Hawthorne, Calif., while the first to also incorporate a prefabricated elevator bank was the Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites in Prairie, Wisc. Later this year, a developer will start stacking the first modular-built Moxy hotel in the United States in downtown Oakland, Calif. The company continues efforts to support developers interested in leveraging prefabrication, most recently launching modular versions of its prototypes for four of its higher-volume brands: Courtyard by Marriott, Fairfield by Marriott, Spring Hill Suites by Marriott, and Towne Place Suites by Marriott. Underscoring its commitment to igniting demand for modular construction, Marriott this year is offering an incentive to development companies that leverage prefabrication for guestroom construction. ITY THIS FALL, HIGHLIGHTING INGS GET BUILT This is the moment where modular construction takes center stage harness the efficiencies of the factory. It can produce a graceful and iconic tower. And yes, it can do so at the rate of an entire floor a day.” Marriott, which has the largest pipeline of hotels in North America, began researching modular construction in 2014 to offset lengthening hotel construction times – a trend attributed to the nation’s building boom and resulting labor shortages. Since 2011, Marriott has seen the average time to build and open a hotel in North America increase by as much 50 percent, depending on factors such as location and size of property. Since 2015, Marriott has been educating owners, franchisees, architects, lenders, consultants, general contractors, and other stakeholders across the industry about the benefits of modular by hosting town halls, factory tours, and stacking events. The company also worked with leading modular manufacturers to help them better understand the untapped demand that hotel development companies represent. Since the launch of Marriott’s initiative, the company’s development partners in North America