Starwood Unveils $1bn Expansion

Starwood Hotels & Resorts has unveiled its expansion plan to open 50 new hotels in Europe, Africa and the Middle East by 2012 at an estimated cost of $1bn.

The hotel group also unveiled its new hotel, Sheraton Bratislava Hotel in the Slovak Republic, which features 209 guestrooms including 23 suites.

This year the group plans to open 13 new hotels including the Sheraton Batumi in Georgia, Sheraton Rhodes in Greece and Sheraton Milan Malpensa in Italy.

Starwood’s flagship Sheraton hotels are currently undergoing a $275m renovation to upgrade their services within the next three years.

This also includes refurbishment of the Sheraton Oman, which will be re-opened in 2010, according to the company.

The group’s other brands, including the mid-market Aloft, W and The Luxury Collection, will debut in the new expansion plans.

Aloft Brussels Schuman in Belgium along with the new Le Méridien Oran Hotel & Convention Centre in Africa will be opened this year.

Starwood also plans to increase the presence of its Four Points by Sheraton brand in Nigeria and in Libya.

The Romanos, a Luxury Collection Resort, will open in Costa Navarino, Greece, in June, while another Westin Resort will open in the same region.

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

Sheraton Hotels & Resorts owns more than 400 luxury hotels across the globe.