Marriott CEO Talks Growth in India
Photo Credit: Marriott International CEO Tony Capuano speaking at Skift Forum India on March 18, 2025. Skift
Skift Take
Marriott CEO Anthony Capuano highlighted the company's strong growth in India, emphasizing local decision-making, expansion into smaller cities, increased female employment, and reducing bureaucratic and travel barriers to boost international tourism.
Marriott CEO Anthony Capuano said at the Skift India Forum on Tuesday that within India, Marriott has over 30,000 rooms already with a strong pipeline ahead. "We have a terrific footprint of Indian national executives that have worked their whole career in India. To develop that real expertise, we should empower them to make those decisions through a local market lens in real time," said Capuano. Recent discussions with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have focused on expanding Marriott's presence in secondary and tertiary cities, increasing female employment, and streamlining bureaucratic processes. A broader theme, according to Capuano, is the need to reduce "friction" across all aspects of the travel and development ecosystem. "I think for the administration to continue to make progress to eliminate friction from the development process in those states where you don't have infrastructure designation for hospitality, that's a big priority, and I think a real enabler fo
