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Adding even more muscle to its portfolio in China, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced that its iconic Sheraton brand will open five more hotels in China before the end of year. In addition to these new openings, seven new Sheraton hotels and resorts debuted in the region this year in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Zhenjiang, Hainan and Jinzhou. With the addition of these 12 hotels, Sheraton will grow its portfolio to 46 hotels in Greater China by year’s end, moving Starwood closer to its goal of operating 100 hotels in Greater China by the end of 2012.
In the next two years, nearly half of all new Starwood hotels slated to open in China will fly the Sheraton flag. This fall, Sheraton will open its first hotel in Hangzhou and Daqing, its second hotel in Xian and two hotels in Changzhou. This surge in new hotel openings will grow the Sheraton brand’s footprint not only in China’s largest and most established cities, but also in many of the country’s fast-growing metropolises and resort destinations.
“Sheraton has leveraged its first-mover advantage in China, where we are now one of the country’s strongest global brands and the engine of Starwood’s growth,” said Hoyt Harper, global brand leader for Sheraton Hotels & Resorts. “Sheraton is focused on meeting the needs of Chinese travelers within China, as well as across our portfolio of more than 400 hotels around the world.”
China will play an outsized role in global travel over the next decade, with 100 million outbound travelers expected by 2015. China also continues to be the richest source of new loyal travelers for Starwood, as evidenced by the 71% jump in Chinese enrollment in Starwood Preferred Guest last year. Starwood’s first-mover advantage in China dates back to 1985 with the landmark debut of The Great Wall Sheraton Hotel in Beijing, the first international branded hotel in China.
“The rich legacy of the Sheraton brand in China has given Starwood a considerable head start in this fertile market, where we now have nearly 100 hotels in development,” said Miguel Ko, Chairman and President of Starwood’s Asia-Pacific Division. “We are thrilled with the robust expansion as four more Sheraton hotels open throughout China with many more expected in 2012. We continue to expand our established upper upscale brands in emerging markets and as the Chinese pick up their pace of travel, they are going to stay with the brands they know and love.”
Sheraton Hangzhou Wetland Park Resort – Hangzhou
Sheraton Changzhou Wujin Hotel – Changzhou
Sheraton Changzhou Xinbei Hotel – Changzhou
Sheraton Xian North City Hotel – Xian
Sheraton Daqing Hotel – Daqing
Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, like all brands within Starwood’s robust portfolio, is proud to offer the Starwood Preferred Guest program, which made headlines when it launched in 1999 with a breakthrough policy of no blackout dates on Free Night Awards. SPG offers members the ability to redeem awards at more resorts, more luxury properties, more European hotels and more golf properties than any other hotel program.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales. She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
