Starwood president and CEO Frits van Paasschen and other top executives will be based in Dubai until April 5
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has relocated its global headquarters from Stamford, CT to Dubai for a month-long period.
From now until April 5, Starwood president and CEO Frits van Paasschen and the company's top executives will conduct day-to-day business from the emirate.
The move follows Starwood's first temporary relocation of its headquarters to China in June 2011. See pictures illustrating the group's Dubai experience on new Starwood Tumblr and Instagram accounts.
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"With 80 percent of Starwood's pipeline coming from rapidly growing markets, it is simply not possible to lead a truly global business from a boardroom in Connecticut," said van Paasschen.
"Rising wealth and ever greater global connectivity are creating a once-in-a-lifetime growth opportunity for our business - by fuelling new demand, changing travel patterns, and entirely new travel markets," he added.
"Dubai epitomises this changing face of travel, and we expect this relocation will deepen our relationships with partners, associates and customers. Just as with our one-month relocation to China in 2011, our time in-market will spark new ideas that will fortify our position as the most global high-end hotel company."
During the course of the relocation, more than 200 Starwood executives and GMs from the US, Europe, Asia and Latin America will travel to Dubai. The team will meet with associates, customers, owners and prospective developers in the UAE and nearby destinations such as Mumbai, Addis Ababa, Jeddah, Dushanbe and Kuwait.
Starwood's roots in the Middle East date back nearly 50 years. The group currently operates 45 hotels in the region with another 30 under development.
In Dubai alone, Starwood has 14 hotels and another six in the pipeline, making the emirate Starwood's second largest market in the world behind New York City.
The company's Middle East footprint is set to grow by about 70% over the next five years, the group said in a statement.
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