Starwood to add 50 new hotels by 2012

Starwood President of global development Simon Turner.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide is planning to open 50 new hotels in its Europe, Africa and Middle East (EAME) division by 2012.

Speaking from the International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) in Berlin, Starwood President of global development Simon Turner said the company was making the most out of being an “established and leading” hotel operator.

“That being said, there are still numerous markets in this vast division where we have an opportunity to launch our nine distinct and compelling brands – as evidenced by the debut of the Sheraton brand in the Slovak Republic,” Turner added.

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Starwood said it will continue to introduce more of its brands to new markets.

Following the debut of the W brand in Spain last year with W Barcelona, the brand will continue its transformation to a global powerhouse with new openings in high-profile destinations such as London, St. Petersburg, Paris, Milan and Amman.

And Aloft Hotels – the new, design-led, mid-market brand inspired by W – is set to make its European debut this autumn with the Aloft Brussels Schumann opening in Belgium.

This hotel comes on the heels of the brand’s launch in the Middle East last year with the 408-room Aloft Abu Dhabi.

In Africa, Starwood is scheduled to open the new Le Méridien Oran Hotel & Convention Centre in 2010, while simultaneously completing major renovations on a number of its properties on the continent as part of the overall brand transformation efforts.

The company will also expand the presence of its Four Points by Sheraton brand in Africa this year with openings in Lagos, Nigeria and in Tripoli, Libya.

Early this year, The Luxury Collection made its debut in the Middle East with the conversion of the Grosvenor House Hotel in Dubai.

The brand will continue to grow this summer when The Romanos, a Luxury Collection Resort, opens in Costa Navarino, Greece in June.

Costa Navarino is a new destination on the southwest coast of the Peloponnese in Greece where Starwood will also open a new Westin Resort.

Meanwhile, Starwood’s luxury lifestyle brand, St. Regis, is slated to open five new hotels in the Middle East and the Indian Ocean over the next five years, including Mauritius, Cairo, Doha and two in Abu Dhabi.