Guido De Wilde, Senior Vice President And Regional Director — Middle East, Starwood Hotels And Resorts Worldwide Inc.
Upholding last year’s position in Hotelier’s Power 50 list at third place is Belgian national, Guido de Wilde, who has been with Starwood Hotels & Resorts now for 29 years and oversees nearly 50 hotels in the Middle East region.
2014 ranking: 3
2013 ranking: 3
De Wilde’s relationship-building has contributed to Starwood’s signing of further projects with existing partners, both in the Middle East and globally.
In the wake of the successful conversion last year of Sheraton Mall of the Emirate (previously Pullman Mall of the Emirates), owner Majid Al Futtaim Properties selected Starwood to manage Westin and Le Méridien in Bahrain, previously Kempinski Grand and Ixir Hotel. Marking Starwood’s 47th opening in the region, the two-tower property was rebranded in July.
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Conversion projects have been ramping up in the Middle East as part of the company’s ambitious aim of increasing its portfolio in the region by 75%, with 35 hotels to open in the next three years. Over the past two years, De Wilde has overseen five signings across five different brands — testament to the trust owners have in Starwood in the region and the reputation of its brands. Four of of these five conversions have already opened and the fifth, the Grand Hills, a Luxury Collection Hotel & Spa, Broumana will open in Q1 of 2015, signalling the debut of the Luxury Collection brand in Lebanon.
In the 12 months between July 2013 and July 2014, a total of five Starwood properties were signed, including the first Westin in Qatar — The Westin Doha Hotel & Spa — set to open early next year. The second Aloft branded hotel in Abu Dhabi, the Aloft Al Ain was signed in January, and further afield in Riyadh, the Le Méridien brand debut was contracted.
In addition to ramping up operating property numbers, Starwood has been busy expanding its brands, having opened the first Luxury Collection beach resort in the region, the Ajman Saray in April, and the second St. Regis in Abu Dhabi. The UAE’s capital is now the only city in the world to have two St. Regis hotels.
In addition to this, some major projects are coming up and De Wilde’s attention is focused on ensuring these go to plan. Still to open this year are Sheraton Dushanbe and Sheraton Dohuk, Starwood’s first property in Tajikstan, and the return of the group to Iraq after a 20-year absence.
In the UAE, the 660-key Sheraton Grand Dubai is set to open by the end of 2014 next to H Hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai and the much talked about three-property Habtoor complex is to open in stages, with the first phase earmarked for Q2 next year. The one million ft2 development located within the US $1.4 billion Habtoor Palace complex on Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai will house Dubai’s first St. Regis and W Hotel as well as a Westin.
Already Dubai has the highest concentration of Starwood hotels outside of New York City and remains an integral aspect of Starwood’s global growth strategy.
With eight of the group’s global brands now represented in the Middle East, only Element is still to make its debut and De Wilde hints this may happen shortly, commenting: “We expect all nine brands to be present in the near future”.
By The Numbers
Number of years in the role: 9 Number of years with the company: 29 Number of Middle East operating hotels: 48 Number of middle East pipeline hotels: 35
Fun Fact: Guido De Wilde takes inspiration from Belgian cyclist Eddy Merckx, who won over 500 races during his career. However he’s also impressed by anyone who can finish the Tour de France, calling it “a test of endurance, resilience, focus and mental and physical strength”.
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