May 5 – Starwood Hotels and Resorts said that it will open all nine of its brands in the Middle East by 2013 which include St Regis, The Luxury Collection, W, Westin, Le Méridien, Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, Aloft, and Element. “Starwood is established as the sector leader in the Middle East. We currently have a footprint of 50 hotels across the region and a pipeline of 20 more due to open in the next five years. In addition, the Middle East will soon be the first region outside of North America to offer all nine of Starwood’s brands, which illustrates just how integral this market is to our growth strategy,” said Roeland Vos, President of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Europe, Africa & Middle East (EAME).
Underlining Starwood’s commitment to the Middle East region, the hotel group also announced plans to debut the design-led Hotels brand in the UAE with the signing of Abu Dhabi, which is set to open in 2013.
