Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced today at the Sheraton Hotels General Manager Summit in Seattle that Sheraton Hotels - its largest and most global brand - is set for record-breaking growth over the next 12 months.
According to Starwood, 35 new Sheraton hotels are slated to debut in the next year. Nearly half of the new Sheraton hotels will open in China, widening Starwood's reach as one of the largest upscale global hotel operators in the Asia Pacific region. Sheraton will also enter numerous new markets including Samoa, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan, and return to Iraq.
"Sheraton continues to grow at a phenomenal pace by leveraging its first-mover advantage in markets across the globe," said Hoyt Harper, Global Brand Leader for Sheraton Hotels & Resorts. "Asia Pacific continues to drive the brand's future pipeline growth, but we are also experiencing strong demand in other emerging markets including Eastern Europe and the Middle East. In addition, the resounding success of our brand-wide revitalization and multi-billion dollar investment to enhance the brand over the past several years has led to a growing number of conversion opportunities in more mature markets."
After amassing more than 100 APAC hotels in 2013, Sheraton continues to build momentum in the region with 23 openings expected by February 2015. Sheraton will open approximately one hotel every three weeks in China alone, reflecting the brand's aggressive growth primarily in the country's secondary and tertiary markets. The brand will launch in Wuhan, Shaoxing, Nanchang, Zhengzhou, and Qingdao, while adding its third hotel in Beijing and fifth in Shanghai. More than 13 additional Sheraton hotels are slated to open in China by 2017.
Sheraton is also gaining traction in India, where it will add three additional hotels to its portfolio over the course of 2014 and 2015, with openings scheduled for Bengaluru, Noida and Chandigarh. The New Caledonia, Samoa and Sri Lanka markets will be included in the expansion, as well.
Sheraton will also add Sheraton Rostov-On-Don Hotel in Russia and the Sheraton Ismayilli Resort & Spa in Azerbaijan. This comes after Sheraton opened Sheraton Zurich Hotel last month (the brand's second hotel in Zurich).
On top of that, Sheraton will open seven new hotels in the Middle East. Highlights include the Sheraton brand's debut in both Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, its return to Iraq with the opening of Sheraton Dohuk Hotel in 2014, and the opening of Sheraton Erbil Hotel in early 2015. Other debuts include the brand's fourth hotel in Saudi Arabia (Sheraton Medina Hotel) and fifth in Dubai-the 660-room Sheraton Dubai Tower Sheikh Zayed Road Hotel.
In Africa, Sheraton will introduce new hotels in Mauritania, Guinea and South Sudan by 2017. These recent signings increase the Sheraton pipeline in Africa to six new hotels.
"Sheraton is truly a global pioneer with a long legacy of reaching new markets first and building meaningful relationships with owners and developers," said Simon Turner, President of Global Development for Starwood. "The result is that Sheraton is leading Starwood's global pipeline growth and creating opportunities for the further development of all our brands in diverse markets worldwide."
Given all the expansion, it's natural that Starwood would also focus on Brazil ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics. This year, Sheraton will open its seventh hotel in Brazil - Sheraton Reserva do Paiva Hotel and Convention Center - after last year's opening of Sheraton da Bahia Hotel in Salvador.
Next month, Sheraton will return to the Dominican Republic with the debut of Sheraton Santo Domingo Hotel, located on Avenida George Washington, the city's luxurious waterfront avenue lined with palm trees and casinos.
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