Starwood on track to reach 100 MEA hotels by 2015

Starwood Hotels & Resorts is on track to increase its Middle East and Africa (MEA) hotel portfolio to 100 hotels in the region, according to a statement released by the company during its month-long relocation to Dubai this March.

The US-based hotel chain, which counts W, Sheraton and Le Meridien among its portfolio of nine hotel brands, currently operates 82 hotels in MEA, representing 22,000 rooms.

The company will increase its MEA portfolio by more than 60% with nearly 50 new hotels set to open over the next five years, adding more than 14,000 guest rooms to the region.

More than 20 of these hotels are expected to open by the end of 2015, with the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria and Algeria identified as key growth markets.

Commenting on the ambitious expansion plans, Starwood Hotels & Resorts president and CEO Frits van Paasschen said: “Starwood continues to see demand for growth of all of our brands across the Middle East and Africa despite economic and political uncertainty in some parts of this incredibly diverse region.

“Rapid economic growth, rising personal incomes, a growing middle class and ever greater global connectivity are driving new travel patterns and demand for travel, and this region is at the centre of these trends and a key focus of our growth strategy.”

By 2017, Starwood will operate more than 130 hotels in MEA, 30 of which will be in the UAE.

There is also rapid expansion planned for Saudi Arabia, with six new hotels slated to open by 2015 bringing Starwood’s portfolio to 15 hotels in this developing market.