Phu Quoc’s room count is set to jump before and after APEC 2027, and much of it is coming from one developer. Sun Group’s new framework with Marriott International could add four more Marriott brands at Ruby Beach. Sun Group already plans about 17,400 rooms and serviced apartments on the island in 2026–27, against 26,461 rooms of all types at the end of 2024. Owners and operators on the island should plan for the years after the summit, not just the event itself.
Sun Group and Marriott exchanged a strategic cooperation document in New York on 23 September 2026 (local time), during a visit to the United States by a high-level Vietnamese delegation. Sun Group said the aim is to bring more premium hotel brands to Vietnam and grow MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) travel, with APEC in Phu Quoc as the near-term focus. It is a framework, not a set of hotel contracts. Each project, whether management, franchise or branded residences, will be negotiated under its own agreement.
Key facts
- Signed: 23 September 2026, New York (local time)
- Type: strategic cooperation framework. Each project needs a separate agreement
- Destinations named: Phu Quoc and Da Nang, plus “other destinations”
- Possible models: hotel management, franchising, branded residences
- Flagship project: the hotel complex at Ruby Beach Mixed-use Urban Area (Bai Dat Do), Phu Quoc
- Brands Marriott is expected to manage there: JW Marriott Marquis, W Hotels, Le Méridien, The Luxury Collection
- Scale: phase 1 planned at 17 hotel towers and more than 7,000 rooms. Later phases could take it to nearly 20,000 rooms
- Sun Group’s wider Phu Quoc plan: about 17,400 rooms and serviced apartments in 2026–27
- Event: APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, Phu Quoc, November 2027
Ruby Beach at a glance
| Item | Detail, per Sun Group |
|---|---|
| Location | Ruby Beach Mixed-use Urban Area, Phu Quoc |
| Marriott brands expected | JW Marriott Marquis, W Hotels, Le Méridien, The Luxury Collection |
| Phase 1 | 17 hotel towers, more than 7,000 rooms |
| All phases | Nearly 20,000 rooms projected |
| Linked infrastructure | Phu Quoc International Airport expansion, APEC Convention Center, APEC Boulevard, a light rail (LRT) line |
| Opening dates | Not announced |
Takeaway: Ruby Beach phase 1 alone is planned at more rooms than all ten hotels Marriott signed with Sun Group in March.
Phu Quoc’s supply pipeline
Ruby Beach is one part of a larger Sun Group build-out. On 14 July 2026 Sun Group said it would invest close to VND 91,600bn to deliver about 17,400 rooms and serviced apartments in Phu Quoc in 2026–27. That Vietnamese-language release calls the Ruby Beach project “Bãi Đất Đỏ” (Bai Dat Do), with the same 17 seafront towers. Thanh Nien uses the same name in its Vietnamese report of the Marriott deal.
| Project, per Sun Group | Rooms | Investment | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hon Thom | about 5,500 | VND 28,732bn | From late 2026, about 2,000 of them in 2026. Includes Rixos Phu Quoc (about 1,500 rooms), TRIBE, Ibis Styles, Fairfield and Moxy |
| Bai Dat Do (Ruby Beach) mixed-use urban area | nearly 7,000 | VND 36,657bn | 17 seafront towers. 13 brands from five international operators, including SO/, Conrad and W |
| Nui Ong Quan | not given separately | VND 26,185bn | 9 serviced-apartment towers plus infrastructure |
Sun Group says Bai Dat Do and Nui Ong Quan together hold about 12,000 hotel rooms and serviced apartments. Nui Ong Quan is the Ong Quan Mountain area where Ascott has signed three properties in Sunset Town.
For comparison, the Kien Giang Department of Tourism counted 484 accommodation establishments with 26,461 rooms in Phu Quoc at the end of 2024, including 27 four- and five-star hotels with 12,703 rooms, Nhan Dan reported. The island had 5.9 million visitors in 2024, of whom 962,000 were international.
Takeaway: Sun Group’s 2026–27 plan alone equals about two-thirds of the island’s end-2024 room stock, though its figure includes serviced apartments.
The March 2026 signing
The framework builds on a deal signed in March. On 24 March 2026, Marriott announced a multi-property agreement with Sun Group for 10 hotels with almost 4,500 keys in Phu Quoc and Vung Tau, across eight brands. The deal brings W Hotels and Moxy Hotels to Vietnam for the first time. Marriott said five of the hotels, under W, Marriott, Westin, Le Méridien and Courtyard, would sit in an 88.4-hectare mixed-use development at Ruby Beach being built by Sun Group for APEC 2027.
| Hotel | Destination | Keys | Scheduled opening |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moxy Phu Quoc Hon Thom | Phu Quoc (Hon Thom) | 501 | 2026 |
| Fairfield by Marriott Phu Quoc Hon Thom | Phu Quoc (Hon Thom) | 353 | 2026 |
| W Phu Quoc | Phu Quoc (Ruby Beach) | 526 | 2027 |
| Phu Quoc Marriott Resort & Spa | Phu Quoc (Ruby Beach) | 826 | 2027 |
| The Westin Phu Quoc | Phu Quoc (Ruby Beach) | 527 | 2027 |
| Le Méridien Phu Quoc | Phu Quoc (Ruby Beach) | 432 | 2027 |
| Courtyard by Marriott Phu Quoc | Phu Quoc (Ruby Beach) | 300 | 2027 |
| Vung Tau Marriott Hotel | Vung Tau | 300 | 2030 |
| Moxy Vung Tau | Vung Tau | 350 | 2030 |
| Four Points by Sheraton Vung Tau | Vung Tau | 350 | 2030 |
| Total | 4,465 |
Takeaway: five of the ten hotels, with 2,611 keys, are scheduled for 2027, the APEC year.
Sun Group’s September release does not say whether the W Hotels and Le Méridien properties it names at Ruby Beach are the same hotels as W Phu Quoc and Le Méridien Phu Quoc from the March deal, or additional ones. We have not assumed either way.
Marriott and Sun Group in Vietnam
- Marriott in Vietnam: 32 hotels and resorts across 11 brands in 10 cities and provinces, with more than 71 properties in the pipeline, according to Sun Group’s September release. Marriott’s own March release gave “more than 50” in the pipeline at that time.
- Loyalty reach: Sun Group says Marriott promotes Vietnam to about 300 million Marriott Bonvoy members.
- First joint project: JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort & Spa, which Sun Group describes as the first landmark collaboration between the two companies.
- Air access: Sun PhuQuoc Airways took delivery of its first wide-body Airbus A330 on 22 September, the first of eight planned. It has also agreed to buy 40 Boeing 787-9s in a deal Sun Group values at about US$22.5 billion.
- Demand signal: Sun Group cites Agoda booking data for the first half of 2026 that ranks Vietnam in the top three Asian destinations for repeat visitors, and Phu Quoc in the top five domestic destinations.
What it means for owners and operators
1. Treat the framework as intent, not pipeline
No new hotel contracts were signed in New York. The four Ruby Beach brands become firm only with project-level agreements, and Sun Group gives no opening dates for the Ruby Beach towers. It also does not say whether its W and Le Méridien are the same hotels Marriott signed in March. Owners and lenders should count only the March list, which has per-hotel keys and years, as signed pipeline.
2. The supply is arriving faster than the event needs it
The Kien Giang Department of Tourism said APEC 2027 needs about 15–20 five-star hotels to host 12,000–15,000 delegates. The island already had 27 four- and five-star hotels with 12,703 rooms at the end of 2024. Sun Group’s plan adds about 17,400 rooms and serviced apartments in 2026–27, about 66% of the end-2024 stock by our calculation. Our view: the event is a one-week peak. The harder question for owners is how the island absorbs this supply from 2028, and we have not seen a published demand forecast that answers it.
3. Ruby Beach is a multi-operator district
Sun Group lists 13 brands from five international operators at Bai Dat Do, including SO/, Conrad and W. Marriott does not have the precinct to itself. Its hotels will compete for groups and rate with Hilton’s and Accor’s brands next door. For existing Phu Quoc hotels, the competitive set is about to change, especially for MICE.
4. Expect a pre-opening talent squeeze
The hiring has already started. Hilton is recruiting the opening General Manager for Conrad Phu Quoc. Marriott is hiring a Multi-Property General Manager for The Westin, Le Méridien and Courtyard Phu Quoc, which its listing says open in the third quarter of 2027. Operating hotels are hiring too, such as La Festa Phu Quoc, which is looking for a Director of Food & Beverage. Our view: several luxury and upper-upscale openings on one island around 2027 will compete for the same senior people, so operators should start recruiting early.
FAQ
Is this a signed hotel deal?
No. It is a strategic cooperation framework. Sun Group says each project will be reviewed, negotiated and finalised under its own agreement.
How many rooms is Sun Group adding in Phu Quoc?
About 17,400 rooms and serviced apartments in 2026–27, according to Sun Group, including about 2,000 at Hon Thom in 2026. It has not given opening dates for each tower.
Is Bai Dat Do the same project as Ruby Beach?
Yes. Sun Group’s July release describes 17 seafront towers at Bai Dat Do, the same scale it gives for Ruby Beach. Thanh Nien’s Vietnamese report of the Marriott deal calls the complex “Bãi Đất Đỏ”.
Which Marriott hotels open first?
Moxy Phu Quoc Hon Thom and Fairfield by Marriott Phu Quoc Hon Thom, both listed for 2026 in Marriott’s March release.
Which other operators are coming to Ruby Beach?
Sun Group says 13 brands from five international operators, including SO/, Conrad and W. It has not published the full list.
Is Da Nang included?
The framework names Da Nang, but no Da Nang projects have been announced under it.
When is APEC 2027?
The APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting is due to take place in Phu Quoc in November 2027.
