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Guido De Wilde
Vice president, regional director, Middle East Starwood Hotels & Resorts
With responsibility for the operation of all Starwood properties in the Middle East, currently numbering 50 hotels and resorts, Guido De Wilde moves up one position in the Power 50.
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At the helm of one of the region’s oldest operators — Sheraton Kuwait opened in 1966 — De Wilde’s power lies in the fact that the brands operating in the region (The Luxury Collection, Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, Le Méridien, Westin, W and most recently Aloft) have largely contributed to the quality of the Middle East hospitality industry as it is today.
Following the success of W Doha, which opened in Qatar in 2009, Starwood will next open W Amman, and also has W Hotels signed in Marrakech and Abu Dhabi.
And Aloft Abu Dhabi, which also opened in 2009, will be followed by the Aloft Hotel in Riyadh in 2013. The recent conversion of Grosvenor House to The Luxury Collection status will be followed by another property in Ajman.
Under de Wilde’s leadership, the next two years will see the entrance of Starwood’s two remaining brands to the region, with various St Regis and Element properties signed up. The Middle East will therefore soon become the first region outside of North America to offer all nine Starwood brands.
Environmentally-friendly, LEED-certified brand Element will launch in Abu Dhabi next to the Aloft in 2012, while Starwood is scheduled to deliver five of its St Regis hotels over the next three years – one in Bahrain, Doha and Dubai and two hotels in Abu Dhabi.
And not forgetting the existing brands, Sheraton Oman is set to reopen in autumn 2010 following a multi-million dollar refurbishment — part of a US $1.5 billion investment in renovating and enhancing the brand in Europe, Africa and the Middle East by 2012.
Commenting on the development plans, de Wilde said: “As we open new hotels we will create employment opportunities for the economy at a time when the world needs them most. A major focus for our Middle East expansion will be hiring talent from local markets to give people the opportunity to grow in this dynamic industry”.
In total, Starwood plans to open nearly 20 hotels in the next five years in the Middle East.
De Wilde joined Starwood in 1983 and took up his current role in 2006 when the regional office was set up.
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