Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. marks a milestone in its aggressive growth in Greater China announcing the signing of the Sheraton Beijing Dongcheng Hotel, their 100th hotel in the area. As the first international hotel chain to enter China when the historic Great Wall Beijing Sheraton Hotel was established 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, St. Regis, The 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 is expected to 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”.
Globally, Starwood marked a milestone this year with the opening of its 900th hotel, and expects to increase its portfolio by 50% over the next five years, driven by aggressive global expansion across all its brands and the unpresecedented growth of its two new brands, Aloft and Element, which was launched in Summer 2008. Starwood’s global pipeline includes 500 hotels and 120,000 rooms. Approximately half of Starwood’s new hotels are expected to open outside of North America, reflecting the company’s impressive growth in dynamic international markets.
Sheraton Beijing Dongcheng Hotel will feature 470 rooms, approximately 36,000 square feet of meeting space, three restaurants and bar, a health club, spa and indoor heated swimming pool. The hotel is part of the final phase of the Global Trade Center (GTC) and mixed-use complex development. In addition to Sheraton Beijing Dongcheng Hotel, Starwood currently has two hotels under construction in Beijing: Aloft Beijing Haidian and Four Points by Sheraton Beijing Haidian, as well as four hotels in operation.
Joachim Fischer, currently in Hanoi, Vietnam
