Shanghai, China – Reported by Elite Traveler, the private jet lifestyle magazine
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced that it has reached a historic milestone with 103 hotels open and in operation and now another 100 signed hotel deals in the pipeline for Greater China, Starwood’s second largest market outside of the United States. The announcement was made as part of celebrations at the Sheraton Shanghai Hongkou Hotel on the heels of Starwood’s Asia Pacific Investor Day.
“Our celebration of our more than 100 hotels in operation and 100 hotels in the pipeline marks another significant milestone for Starwood’s growth and development in China as we double our footprint in the region,” said Vasant Prabhu, Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. “Our success in China reflects our first mover advantage, the strength of our brands and the entrusted partnerships we have fostered with our developers, partners, and guests since our first landmark debut with The Great Wall Sheraton Hotel in Beijing in 1985.”
Starwood has already opened 11 hotels in China in 2012 and expects to open another 13 hotels by year’s end.
“With more high end hotels in China today than any of our competitors, our long lead will be enhanced by the record number of new hotels we have in our pipeline,” said Simon Turner, President, Global Development, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. “China continues to present tremendous growth opportunities for Starwood as we drive to introduce our valued, world class brands into new markets that do not yet have a major international branded hotel.”
Globally renowned Le Méridien features 8 hotels in Qingdao, Chongqing, Xiamen, Shanghai, Shimei Bay, Sheshan, Taipei and Hong Kong, with an additional 6 hotels in the pipeline.
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The rise in high net worth individuals in China and around the globe has also paved the way for the expansion of Starwood’s luxury brands, St. Regis, The Luxury Collection and W Hotels.
“As demand grows, we are seeing a change in luxury consumption as travelers become more connected, more diverse, and more sophisticated. The same trends can be observed with our Chinese travelers,” said Stephen Ho, President, Asia Pacific, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. “Luxury is no longer a one-size-fits-all proposition. What once was prescribed is now personalized with less formality and more fun. At Starwood, we feel uniquely suited to benefit from these major shifts. With nine luxury hotels operating under our St. Regis, Luxury Collection and W brands in Greater China, and 18 more in the pipeline, we are the true leader in this space.”
Industry innovator W Hotels will debut the first W hotel in mainland China with W Guangzhou by the beginning of 2013. It is also preparing to open another 4 hotels by 2017 in Macau, Beijing, Shanghai and Changsha.
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Since its first debut with The Astor Tianjin Hotel in 2008, Starwood’s distinctive Luxury Collection brand will have quadrupled its footprint by the end of 2012 with the openings of The Hongta Hotel, Twelve at Hengshan in Shanghai, and The Royal Begonia on Hainan Island, China’s first Luxury Collection resort. Five more hotels are scheduled to debut under the Luxury Collection by 2016 in key cities including Dalian, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Xiamen and Nanning.
After a growth spurt of three openings in 2011, including hotels in Shenzhen, Sanya, and Tianjin, St. Regis has fast become a favorite for visiting heads of state and celebrities. With current presence in Beijing, Lhasa, Sanya and Shenzhen, St. Regis will debut more than six hotels in Changsha, Macau, Chengdu, Lijiang, Zhuhai and Nanjing.
Demand for upper-upscale hotel brands in resort destinations are also on the rise, as a limited supply of rooms in popular destinations are being outstripped by the growing numbers of Chinese luxury travelers.
“”Our portfolio of distinct brands and our brand recognition across China and around the world, allows us to enter multiple resort destinations like Hainan, leveraging collective local scale without cannibalizing business, so we get more than our share of new business,” said Qian Jin, President, Greater China, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. “Home to seven properties in Hainan, Starwood is set to open five more hotels by the end of 2014 to respond to growing demand. Demand for resort destinations also extends from tropical getaways such as Hainan. In July, Starwood will open its first dual-branded ski resort – the Westin and Sheraton Changbaishan.”
With nearly 30 years of legacy in China, Starwood is committed to nurturing local talent, hiring and training staff wherever new hotels and resorts are opened, and enriching local communities. Starwood now employs over 38,000 associates in Greater China, and expects to increase that number by 10,000 jobs per year based on the current expansion rate of 23 new hotels a year on average.
An increasing number of hotel General Managers are of Chinese descent – 29 compared to only four in 2009 – with many executives returning from overseas to take up senior positions. Also, the total number of Chinese associates at managerial levels has more than doubled since 2009 to 2,577, in line with the doubling of Starwood’s portfolio of hotels in the country.
