Starwood accelerates growth in North America

STAMFORD, CT – From the 2016 American Lodging Investment Summit in Los Angeles, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

STAMFORD, CT – From the 2016 American Lodging Investment Summit in Los Angeles, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) today announced strong continued growth in North America, following its 5th consecutive year of increased signings with 92 new hotel deals in 2015, an increase of 44 percent over the previous year. During 2015, the company also opened 43 new hotels, nearly double the 2014 number.

โ€œOur strong growth in North America played a significant part in Starwoodโ€™s record-breaking growth last year, fueled by notable increases across our brand portfolio, particularly our select service and our luxury brands,โ€ said Simon Turner, President of Global Development for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. โ€œNorth America remains an extremely important market for the company, with 55% of our existing portfolio and one third of our global pipeline, and we see continued growth momentum across all of our brands in 2016.โ€

โ€œWe are thrilled with the balanced growth we achieved in 2015, which grew our pipeline in North America by over 30 percent,โ€ said Allison Reid, Senior Vice President of North America Development for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. โ€œThe number of conversions we signed last year was up significantly and new build activity also increased. Owners and developers are showing continued strong interest in Starwoodโ€™s brands, powerful network, global booking platforms and loyal customer base.โ€

Growth of Starwoodโ€™s Specialty Select Brands Continues to Soar with More than 100 Hotels in the Pipeline

Starwoodโ€™s tech-forward Aloft brand, representing Starwoodโ€™s largest pipeline in North America, led the companyโ€™s growth this year as it continues to turn heads and meet the needs of todayโ€™s hyper-connected global traveler. Aloft remains one of the fastest growing hotel brands with 10 openings in 2015 and 9 more slated for 2016 in North America. Element Hotels opened five hotels in 2015 and continues to see significant expansion opportunities as demand grows for the smart, sustainable brand. On track to more than double its North America portfolio in the next three years, Element will open more than 20 hotels across the U.S. and Canada by year end 2018. Known for its universal appeal and flexible development options, Four Points also continues to expand with plans to open this year in key markets like New York, San Diego and Dallas Fort Worth, in addition to markets throughout Canada such as Sherwood, Alberta and Barrie, Ontario.

Demand is also on the rise for dual-branded hotel developments featuring Starwoodโ€™s Aloft and Element brands in key metropolitan markets across North America. Aloft and Element hotel projects will debut in Austin, Boston, Redmond, Wash., Columbus, Ohio, Dallas Love Field, and Charleston, S.C. in the next three years.

High-End Brands Continue to Differentiate Starwood and Fuel Growth in Key North America Markets

Starwood remained one of the few major hotel companies to increase its luxury pipeline with 11 new hotel deals in 2015 across the St. Regis, The Luxury Collection and W Hotels brands, doubling the companyโ€™s luxury pipeline in North America in just 12 months. St. Regis continues to build on its more than 100 year heritage since opening in New York City in 1904, while the industryโ€™s largest luxury brand, The Luxury Collection, is renovating and converting renowned hotels throughout the U.S. to meet rising domestic demand for high-end accommodations, including the Cal Neva resort on Lake Tahoe and The Liberty in Boston. The brand will also make its long-awaited arrival in Napa Valleyโ€™s idyllic St. Helena in 2016. W Hotels, the category killer in the lifestyle space, was a standout in 2015, tripling its executed pipeline through 2019 with notable signings in Aspen, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Bellevue and Downtown Los Angeles. The brand continues to break ground in high-barrier to entry markets, with development already under way to open 6 more hotels in North America by 2020.

Starwoodโ€™s upper upscale brands, Sheraton, Westin, Le Meridien and Tribute Portfolio, more than doubled their number of openings and quadrupled the number of new rooms added compared to the previous year. In its launch year, Tribute Portfolio far exceeded company expectations, adding 11 new hotels (signed and opened) or more than 3,500 rooms. The Westin brand has 15 hotels in the pipeline and has opened five hotels this past year, while Le Mรฉridien continues to aggressively invest in its growing portfolio with a recent debut in Columbus, Ohio and new signings in Downtown Houston, TX, and Orlando, FL at Universal Blvd. At the same time, The Sheraton brand welcomed the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel and the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers as Sheraton Grand properties, one of many initiatives under way for Sheraton 2020, a comprehensive 10-point plan designed to solidify Sheraton as a leading global hotel brand of choice, everywhere.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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