Starwood Hotels & Resorts Unveils Newest Brand
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, unveiled its new extended-stay hotel brand ELEMENT, a brand extension of Westin Hotels & Resorts.
ELEMENT, formerly known by its working title Project ESW, will redefine extended-stay hospitality, incorporating smart design, modern style and a social environment into a category often associated with look-alike brands and generic features.
“With Westin, we recreated the upper-upscale segment in the hotel industry. Strategically, ELEMENT fits into this mold--it is about creating a new category from the ground up,” said Starwood’s Chief Executive Officer Steven J. Heyer.
One million Starwood guests stayed in an extended stay hotel in the last year, enough to support over 150 ELEMENT hotels nationwide.
As a result, even before its name was unveiled, ELEMENT has been attracting significant developer interest. In fact, Starwood anticipates that there will be 500 ELEMENT hotels worldwide.
The ELEMENT growth strategy targets locations in proven markets –urban centers, corporate business parks, airports, resorts and lifestyle centers. The brand will be introduced in major destinations in Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South America, and North America.
