Starwood's temporary move to Dubai produces handful of new contracts
ArabianBusiness.com Staff, HotelierMiddleEast.com
- Apr 08, 2013 12:46 am
Starwood's rivals said its Dubai move was a gimmick, but the gimmick has concrete results, especially for its Le Meredien brand.
— Jason Clampet
US hotel giant Starwood has said it expects to announce new hotel contracts in the Middle East as a result of its month-long relocation to Dubai, which concluded on Thursday.
Frits van Paasschen, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide president and CEO, said meetings had been held in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Mauritius, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and India during the month.
"It is hard to overstate the potential for our business in this region of the world. By bringing our executives here and spending time with our partners and local teams, we are uniquely positioned to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime growth opportunity," said van Paasschen.
"I have no doubt that our time spent here will drive future hotel contracts in the region, accelerate Starwood's position as the most global high-end hotel company and further define our culture."
Van Paasschen and members of Starwood's senior team met with 3,000 associates, conducted nearly 50 owner meetings and visited all 14 Starwood hotels in Dubai, which is the company's second largest hotel market behind only New York City.
The team also took advantage of Dubai's strategic location to travel to 19 cities across 12 countries, meeting with government officials and potential development partners in fast-growing markets, including Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Mauritius,Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and India.
Last month Starwood announced that it will increase its Middle East and Africa (MEA) portfolio by more than 60 percent with nearly 50 new hotels set to open over the next five years, adding more than 14,000 guest rooms to the region and creating thousands of local employment opportunities.
With 82 operating hotels and over 20 hotels expected to open by the end of 2015, Starwood is on track to reach a milestone 100 hotels across MEA.
"With 80 percent of Starwood's pipeline coming from rapidly growing markets, it's important for us to remain at the forefront of new travel demands and changing travel patterns," said Simon Turner, president of Global Development, Starwood Hotels & Resorts.
"The Middle East is experiencing rapid economic growth, a growing middle class and ever greater global connectivity, and the Dubai relocation will help us expand all of our brands across this important region."
The company also announced a comprehensive renovation strategy for its Le Méridien brand, for which Starwood and its ownership groups will invest more than $200m in the renovations of 13 hotels and resorts in the MEA region over the next three years.
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Tags: beirut, dubai, lebanon, saudi arabia, starwood
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