Starwood on Track to Open 1,000th Hotel in 2009

At the AAHOA Lodging Conference in Washington, D.C., Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced it remains on track to open its 1,000th hotel and resort this year.

Contributing to the company’s growth is its best-in-class Specialty Select Group, which is comprised of three distinct select service brands –Aloft, Element and Four Points by Sheraton.

In the next two months alone, Starwood said it will open the 25th Aloft worldwide, the fifth Element and the first Four Points by Sheraton based on the new design prototype, which is also the 137th property worldwide.

Starwood said its Specialty Select portfolio has benefited from the reinvention of the Four Points by Sheraton brand, as well as from the development community’s enthusiasm for Starwood’s newest brands, Aloft and Element.

Less than one year after their global debut, Starwood’s newest lifestyle brands, Aloft and Element, continue to experience steady growth, building on the more than 100 hotels signed at the brands’ launch.

Four Points by Sheraton is currently experiencing the strongest growth momentum in its history. In 2009, the brand expects to open more than 20 hotels in 11 countries, including its first in India this summer. Since January, it has opened hotels in Malaysia, Mexico and the United States.

Element opened its first two hotels in 2008 and its first in 2009 with the Element Houston Vintage Park. The brand expects to open three more this year in Denver; Baltimore; and Irving, Texas. Beyond the United States, Element has long-term plans to add hotels in targeted international markets, such as Canada and the United Arab Emirates.