Starwood Hotels &
Resorts Worldwide, Inc. opened 23 hotels in North America
in 2012 and signed more new deals than in the previous two years,
including 21 conversions.
Looking
ahead to 2013, Starwood anticipates itsstrongest year
of openings in North America since before the global
economic crisis with 28 scheduled
openings. Conversions will continue to fuel growth with
in-the-year conversions expected to result in
additional new
hotel openings this year.
“North
America remains our largest market with
576hotels and saw more hotels signed in 2012 than any
other region in our vast network,”
said Simon Turner, President of Global Development. “We have opened
over 135 new
hotels in
North America since theglobal economic crisis and expect pent up
demand and limited new supply to continue to drive our growth in
2013.”
“There
are a number of positive trends in the North American
hospitality market and we expect more than one-third of
Starwood’s hotel openings
around the world to be in the U.S. and Canada in 2013,” said
Allison Reid, Senior Vice President of North America
Development, Starwood. “Our strong brands, global scale and
presence, powerful systems and growing base of loyal customers
continue to set Starwood apart from our competition. We are
seeing increased interest among owners in initiating new
hotels with Starwood especially around conversions.”
Starwood’s
“Specialty Select” or Mid-Market brands, Four Points by
Sheraton, Aloft and Element, will continue charging across North
America in 2013. Fast-growing Four Points by Sheraton, with its
popular positioning around comfort, style, and affordability, is
expected to surpass 120 hotels in North America and 190
globally in 2013. Over the past five years, the Four Points by
Sheraton portfolio has surged by 15% in North America and the brand
is now Starwood’s third largest with the second-biggest global
pipeline.
Aloft,
Starwood’s sizzling “style at a steal” brand, continues
conquering markets wherever
it plants a flag. This year, the brand will open its milestone 50th
property in North America and 75th globally – and is on track to
open nearly three times as many rooms this year as in 2012. Over the
past three years, Aloft has grown its global portfolio by 67%, and
expects to expand by another 25% in 2013. Aloft also signed eight
deals in North America and an additional 17 globally during 2012 –
the highest number since 2008.
Starwood’s
stronger-than-ever upper-upscale brands, Le Méridien, Westin and
Sheraton, will also see sustained North America expansion in 2013.
After significant brand investment and transformation, Le Méridien
is experiencing strong growth momentum, with eight new
hotel openings globally slated for 2013.
Westin,
whose singular positioning around wellness continues powering global
growth, will open four hotels in 2013 in the U.S.: The
Westin Birmingham, The Westin San Jose, The Westin Sacramento, and
The Westin Houston Downtown – the 4th Westin in that city.
Starwood continues
to have, and build on, one of the strongest North America
luxury portfolios in the industry with its St. Regis, The Luxury
Collection, and W Hotels brands. In 2012, the company
signed The St. Anthony, A Luxury Collection Hotel, San Antonio –
an external conversion set to open in 2014 as the second Luxury
Collection property in Texas. With 85 hotels in nearly 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.