Starwood announces its 100th hotel in China

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide marks a milestone in its aggressive growth in Greater China announcing its 100th hotel there, with the signing of the Sheraton Beijing Dongcheng Hotel.

As the first international hotel chain to enter China when the historic Great Wall Beijing Sheraton Hotel opened in 1985, Starwood today is the largest international upscale hotel company in China and continues to grow its footprint there with the expansion of its brands including Sheraton, Westin, Le Meridien, Sheraton, St. Regis, Luxury Collection, aloft, Four Points by Sheraton and W hotels in established and emerging cities as well as resort destinations.

“With strong domestic demand, an increasing affinity for global brands and international inbound travel on the rise, our opportunity in China is perhaps unsurpassed anywhere in the world,” said Simon Turner, President, Global Development for Starwood Hotels & Resorts.

“What’s more, by 2020, China will generate over 100 million outbound trips a year, more than triple its current output, making it one of the largest origins of outbound travel in the world. As the Chinese travel abroad, they look for brands they know, and therefore Starwood’s development in China today, has significant implications for our hotels worldwide.”

A dominant player in the upper-upscale and luxury hotel market in China, Starwood is poised to grow in other segments as well, and the company will debut its new select service brand, aloft, in China this September with the opening of the aloft Beijing, Haidian. Designed with the DNA of W Hotels, aloft targets younger, style-conscious consumers.

“We expect healthy expansion as we launch aloft throughout China and continue to expand our established upper upscale and luxury brands in various Chinese cities where we are currently under penetrated,” commented Miguel Ko, President of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Asia Pacific.

“Starwood continues to win many new hotel projects in China and this is largely due to the confidence the development community has in our lifestyle brands, noted innovations and consistently strong delivery of results in the region.”

Starwood continues to grow aggressively throughout Asia Pacific, with plans to open 150 new hotels by the end of 2009, and with over 80 hotels under construction. China continues to fuel growth in the region, and more than half of Starwood’s pipeline in Asia Pacific is in Greater China, where the company expects to double its portfolio by 2011. In addition to the 43 hotels Starwood currently operates in China, Starwood has 57 new properties scheduled to open.

These include 22 Sheratons, 12 Four Points by Sheratons, eight Westins, five W hotels, four St Regis, three Le Meridien hotels, two aloft hotels and one Luxury Collection hotel.