
Starwood Hotels and Resorts has announced that it plans to open 50 new hotels, primarily in developing markets, across the European continent over the next five years. This development will increase Starwood’s European portfolio by 30%.
Starwood intends to kick off this growth spurt with 9 new hotels over the next year in Russia, the CIS, and Turkey. Three of the nine hotels are to be located in Turkey, including the introduction of the Sheraton brand in Adana and Bursa, and of Aloft in Bursa. The company will enter the Tajikistan market with a Sheraton in the capital city of Dushanbe, the Kazakhstan market with a Sheraton in Aktobe, and the Hungary market with a Four Points by Sheraton in Kecskemet.Senior vice president of acquisition and development at Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Europe, Africa & Middle East, Bart Carnahan, expands on this growth strategy: “In an effort to maintain our rapid growth momentum throughout Europe, we have strengthened our development team with dedicated resources in the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Russia, Poland and Turkey, underscoring our commitment to Europe as a key travel and tourism destination.”
