Starwood
Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced that, with a continued
focus on growth in Latin America, the company aims to have 100 hotels
under operation and development in Latin America by the end of 2013.
Currently,
Starwood has a strong footprint of 71 hotels in 13 countries, and a
robust development pipeline of 20 hotels with a total 3,300 new rooms
underway.
Building
on its aggressive growth strategy in the region, in the last two
years, Starwood opened 12 hotels, including the Westin Panama, which
opened in January, bringing its current portfolio to 71 hotels with
15,300 rooms representing 33 percent growth since 2007. In the
remainder of 2013, Starwood expects to open seven more hotels with a
total of 1,300 rooms, covering four brands across five countries.
Currently,
the company operates eight unique brands throughout the region,
including W Hotels, St. Regis and The Luxury Collection, which make
up the company's luxury portfolio; Westin, Le Méridien and Sheraton,
in the upper-upscale segment; and fast-growing mid-market or
"specialty select" brands, Aloft and Four Points by
Sheraton.
Four
Points by Sheraton and Aloft Key Drivers of Growth in Latin America
Starwood
will introduce three Four Points by Sheraton hotels in key cities in
the next year, including Four Points Miraflores in Lima, Peru which
will open in March, followed by Four Points Cancun in Mexico in July
and Four Points Bogota in January 2014. Fast-growing Four Points by
Sheraton, with its popular positioning around comfort, style, and
affordability is now Starwood's third largest brand with the
second-biggest global pipeline. In Latin America, the brand already
has 12 properties, from Mexico to Chile.
The
Aloft brand made its debut in Bogota and San Jose less than two years
ago and continues to take Latin America by storm. By 2015, six new
Aloft branded hotels will open in Latin America bringing the total
number to eight. This year, Aloft will debut in Panama and Mexico and
by 2015 the brand will arrive in Paraguay and Uruguay.
Sheraton
Enjoys Strong Position and Sustained Growth
Sheraton
is Starwood's powerhouse brand around the world and is on-track to
open its 500th hotel in 2015. In Latin America, the brand has 30
hotels in 11 countries. The next two years will be stellar for
Sheraton with four new hotels opening by 2014. Sheraton da Bahia
Hotel in Salvador, Brazil's second most important tourist
destination, will open in March of this year, followed by Sheraton
Tucuman Hotel in Argentina's northern region that same month. In
early 2014, Sheraton Cartagena Hotel, a jewel on the city's coastline
will make its debut followed by Sheraton Reserva do Paiva &
Convention Center in Recife, one of the host cities of the 2014 FIFA
World Cup.
Westin
Nearly Doubles Portfolio in Latin America
Demand
for new Westin hotels in Latin America is also heating up. In just
the past two years, Westin has more than doubled its footprint in
Latin America as part of the brand's strategic expansion in the
region's fastest growing markets. This year's opening of The Westin
Panama increased the Westin portfolio in Latin America to 11 hotels,
spanning five countries including Panama, Mexico, Peru, Costa Rica
and Guatemala.
Le
Méridien Returns to Mexico
In
2012, Le Méridien returned to Mexico with the opening of Le Méridien
Mexico City in November. Since its 2005 acquisition by Starwood
Hotels & Resorts, both Starwood and its hotel ownership groups
have transformed Le Méridien into a contemporary, design-led
lifestyle brand. The brand has a significant growth pipeline with
seven new hotels expected to open within the next 12 months around
the globe.
Best
Positioned in Luxury
Starwood
continues to build on its extensive global luxury portfolio, under
the St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, and W Hotels brands. In 2013,
the company will open Palacio del Inka, a Luxury Collection hotel in
Cusco that will join two other properties in Peru. In addition, the
company has signed an agreement to open a new hotel Luxury Collection
hotel in Guadalajara,
Mexico. With 85 hotels in 30 countries, The Luxury Collection remains
Starwood's largest luxury brand, and with its appeal to independent
hotel owners it continues to grow, increasing its global footprint by
70% since 2007.
Starwood
also plans to open four new W Hotels, including W Bogota in summer
2014, W Santa Fe in Mexico City in 2015, and W Retreat Kanai Rivera
Maya and W Panama City in early 2016. And, with already two St. Regis
hotels in Mexico, the brand expects to open its third in the country
with the inauguration of the St. Regis Kanai Rivera Maya, slated to
open in 2016
