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Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide () is a hospitality ownership, management, and franchise organization based in White Plains, New York. The company owns, operates, franchises and manages hospitality properties under its 8 owned brands. As of November 25, 2005 the firm operated more than 850 hotels with about 232,000 rooms worldwide. Starwood Preferred Guest is the company's frequent stay program.
History
Starwood acquired Sheraton, Four Points, and The Luxury Collection through its acquisition of ITT Sheraton.
Starwood also inherited the original St. Regis hotel on Fifth Ave. in its 1998 acquisition. It subsequently grew the name and franchise into more properties.
In 1999, Starwood launched the "W" Brand which has been described as a "fun, hip and exciting hotel collection that happily marries boutique hotel flair with the quality and functionality of larger brand hotels."
Brands
Sheraton Hotels and Resorts
Sheraton Hotels and Resorts is Starwood's largest and oldest brand. Sheraton serves the needs of both business and leisure travelers in locations from Argentina to Zimbabwe. Sheraton Hotels and Resorts has headquarters in White Plains, New York.
Sheraton History
The brand, now known as Sheraton, began in 1937 when two entrepreneurs, Ernest Henderson and Robert Moore acquired a hotel in Springfield, Massachusetts.They soon expanded their holdings to include properties from Maine to Florida. In 1945 it was the first hotel chain to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange (this claim is also made by competitor Hilton Hotels).
Sheraton expanded internationally in 1949 with the purchase of two Canadian hotel chains and grew rapidly around the world. The 1960s saw the first Sheraton hotels in Latin America and the Middle East and, by 1965, the 100th Sheraton opened its doors. The multinational conglomerate ITT purchased the chain in 1968, after which it was known as ITT Sheraton.
In 1995, ITT Sheraton introduced the Four Points mid-priced brand.
In 1998 Sheraton and its sister brands Four Points by Sheraton, St. Regis, and The Luxury Collection were acquired by Starwood.
On April 10, 2006, Sheraton announced its new $20 million ad campaign featuring We Belong by Pat Benatar with the message of Warm Greetings * as an emotional appeal to consumers.
Four Points by Sheraton
Four Points by Sheraton is Starwood's mid-market hotel brand, targeted towards business travelers and small conventions. Four Points was created by the former ITT Sheraton before Starwood acquired the firm in 1998. The brand includes hotels and resorts located in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Australia, and the Middle East. Plans to expand throughout Europe include new hotels in Dornbim, Austria, and Zurich, Switzerland.Smith Travel Research classifies Four Points hotels as "Upscale" whereas Westin and Sheraton brand hotels are "Upper Upscale".
The Luxury Collection
The Luxury Collection brand includes hotels, and resorts located in the United States, Canada, Africa, Asia, Europe, Mexico, Latin America and the Middle East. The Luxury Collection allows existing luxury hotels to affiliate with a leading international brand while preserving their well-recognized identities. The brand also includes newly developed hotels such as The Atlantic in Ft Lauderdale, FL, built in 2003.Le Méridien
Le Méridien is a french-style hotel brand formerly headquartered in the United Kingdom, with 130 properties. Its acquisition by Starwood was announced April 28, 2005 and completed November 24, 2005. Le Méridien will allow Starwood to continue expanding throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Furthermore, Starwood can continue to expand with a major upscale full-service brand in markets already containing Westin and Sheraton products.St. Regis
The St. Regis brand includes hotels and resorts located in the United States, Caribbean, Europe, and Asia.Since 1998, Starwood has expanded the St. Regis brand as the company's luxury offering. Additional St. Regis properties are planned for the Bahamas, Indonesia, and Singapore. Currently, 13 properties are open.
W Hotels
The W Hotels brand features contemporary properties, with hip designs, modern facilities, and a young staff. W Hotels' slogan is "Whatever, Whenever" and the brand markets heavily to gay customers. They also appear to target Yuppies. The group has hotels in Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Montreal, New Orleans, Seoul, New York City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, and Silicon Valley.As of 2001, the Chicago Loop location's lobby seemed more like a cocktail lounge than a hotel lobby, with pounding, mechanical-sounding music piped in (and audible from the elevators, at least two floors up). Art hanging on the walls throughout the property could be described as neo-Dadaist, consisting of relatively unremarkable mass-produced objects, framed as if they were masterpieces. "Goodie baskets" in the guest rooms included (in addition to the more usual items) a baseball cap, a t-shirt, and a pair of thong sandals, all bearing the W Hotel logo, and a sealed package marked "Intimacy kit" (the label included a list of the contents, leaving nothing to the imagination).
W has ambitious expansion plans with hotels planned for Dallas (2006), the Maldives (2006), Vieques (2006), Doha (2007), Hoboken (2007), Phoenix (2007), Scottsdale (2007), South Beach (2007), Barcelona (2008), Dubai (2008), Fort Lauderdale (2008), Hollywood (2008), Hong Kong (2008), Las Vegas (2008), Santiago (2008), and Shanghai (2008).
Westin
The Westin Hotels brand includes hotels, resorts and spas located in the United States, Australia, Canada, and other countries. Westin locations are targeted towards upscale business travelers and convention attendees.
aLoft
Announced on September 28, 2005, the aloft brand combines the features of W Hotels and the value of Four Points by Sheraton. Starwood plans to open the first hotels in Lexington, Massachusetts; Tucson, Arizona; San Francisco International Airport; Philadelphia International Airport; and Cherry Creek, Colorado. The chain's first international properties have been announced at Montreal and Toronto in Canada. The Montreal property is located at Pierre Trudeau International Airport, while the Toronto property will be in downtown. Both are scheduled to open in 2007.By the end of 2012 Starwood plans to have 500 aloft properties open.
Starwood Preferred Guest
Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) is Starwood's loyalty program. The program allows members to earn points for hotel stays and other purchases. Through partnerships with diverse firms such as American Express, airlines, and other promotional partners, Starwood has amassed a vast loyalty network. The hotel uses rich customer data to target market and provide customized customer experiences. Points earned in SPG can be redeemed for hotel stays, discounts, or airline miles, among other rewards. *See also
List of Sheraton Hotels
External links
1937 establishments | Fortune 1000 | Hospitality companies of the United States | Companies based in New York | Hotel chains
"Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide"