With the recent opening of the Sheraton Bratislava Hotel in Slovakia – along with 13 additional hotels slated to open in 2010 – the division is firmly on track to reach the goal. The Sheraton Bratislava Hotel features 209 guest rooms including 23 suites. This new hotel is indicative of Sheraton’s role as a major driver of Starwood’s growth in EAME, with additional flagship hotels scheduled to open in destinations such as Georgia, Sheraton Batumi in early 2010; Greece, Sheraton Rhodes in early 2010; and Italy, Sheraton Milan Malpensa in mid-2010.
Sheraton’s history in EAME dates back to the early 1960s where it quickly established itself as the premier hotel brand for business and leisure travel. To maintain the brand’s leading position, many flagship Sheraton hotels are presently undergoing an enhancement program to revitalize their facilities and be in tune with the brand’s updated identity. This includes an investment of $275 million in renovations of existing Sheraton hotels in the region in the next three years. Among the brand-wide enhancements is the introduction of the innovative Link@SheratonSM experienced with Microsoft.
Beyond Sheraton, Starwood will continue to introduce more of its brands to new markets. For example, after introducing the W brand in Spain in 2009 with W Barcelona, the brand will continue its transformation to a global powerhouse with new openings in high-profile destinations such as London, St. Petersburg, Paris, Milan and Amman. Aloft Hotels is set to make its European debut with the Aloft Brussels Schumann opening in Belgium. This hotel comes on the heels of the brand’s launch in the Middle East last year with the 408-room Aloft Abu Dhabi.
In Africa, Starwood is scheduled to open the new Le Méridien Oran Hotel & Convention Centre in 2010, while simultaneously completing major renovations on a number of its properties on the continent as part of the overall brand transformation efforts. The company will also expand the presence of its Four Points by Sheraton brand in Africa this year with openings in Lagos, Nigeria and in Tripoli, Libya.
In early 2010, the Luxury Collection made its debut in the Middle East with the conversion of the Grosvenor House Hotel in Dubai. The brand will continue to grow this when The Romanos, a Luxury Collection Resort, opens in Costa Navarino, Greece in June 2010. Costa Navarino is a new destination on the southwest coast of the Peloponnese in Greece where Starwood will also open a new Westin Resort. Meanwhile, Starwood’s ultimate luxury lifestyle brand, St. Regis, is slated to open five new hotels in the Middle East and the Indian Ocean over the next five years, including Mauritius, Cairo, Doha and two in Abu Dhabi.
New York-based hotel and leisure company Starwood Hotels & Resorts has internationally renowned brands in its kitty, including St Regis, the Luxury Collection, W, Westin, Le Méridien, Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, and the recently launched Aloft and Element.
