Asia-Pacific Power List 2025: John Toomey, Marriott International

John Toomey 

Chief commercial officer, APEC
Marriott International APEC
Singapore
Returning member since 2024

With the post-Covid holiday surge in full force, the world’s biggest hotel group is riding the wave. Lighting the path in APEC (excluding China) is John Toomey, who oversees marketing, brand management, sales, digital, distribution, communications, loyalty, and consumer insights across more than 635 operating properties across 25 brands in 22 countries and territories.

The sheer volume and responsibility of his remit means that campaigns are being sprouted and watered continually. Some to note are ‘Wonderful Hospitality Always’ by Marriott Hotels to target the key growth markets of India and Japan; Courtyard by Marrriott’s ‘Passion Moves Us Forward’ to target the traveller who likes combining business with leisure; and Renaissance Hotels’ 10th anniversary of its annual ‘Global Day of Discovery’, an on-property activation held across all worldwide properties on the same day. 

In the past year, Toomey and his team have also been busy elevating Marriott Bonvoy, the group’s loyalty offering. A highlight was ‘Luxury Dining Series’, a multi-city immersive culinary experience across its luxury hotels in six key destinations. As a result, a total of 889 pieces of coverage were published across more than 10 APAC markets, reaching an audience of over 999 million. Bonvoy also launched global partnerships with major events such as the Taylor Swift concert and the F1 Suzuka Grand Prix to bring the total points redemption to 14.8 million in 2024. 

Toomey is a believer in using insights to differentiate Marriott’s value proposition, but is equally generous in sharing industry-wide findings through commissioned studies and reports. One such example is the New Luxe Landscapes report, which was presented at a major travel event to peers, consumers, and trade media. The report explores the evolving expectations and travel preferences of high-net-worth travellers and identifies three emerging luxury traveller archetypes. 

Environmental consciousness is also high on the agenda. Toomey helped spearhead initiatives that link sustainability with luxury, such as a media familiarisation trip to Southern Thailand’s eco-focused properties, reflecting the rising demand for meaningful, low-impact travel among high-net-worth guests.

Since succeeding Bart Buiring in 2023, Toomey has shown himself to be the kind of progressive leader who is keen on introducing a new future of travel amid changing consumer habits.