Starwood Hotels & Resorts announced that its Sheraton brand has reached the 100-hotel milestone in Asia-Pacific with the opening of Sheraton Shantou Hotel (306 rooms) in China. The property is one of nearly 30 openings in Asia-Pacific this past year, showing the brands rapid growth in the region. With 100 hotels in operation, Sheraton is keeping its hold on the region with 50 more hotels in its Asia-Pacific pipeline, both its second-largest and fastest growing market. The Sheraton brand's growth in Asia Pacific brings the brand closer to its target of having 500 hotels worldwide in 2016."Sheraton has enjoyed phenomenal success in Asia Pacific where it has helped meet the tremendous demand for high-caliber lodging generated by the rising middle class", says Hoyt Harper, Global Brand Leader, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts. "The Sheraton brand's success in these fast-growing economies has helped lengthen Starwood's lead as the largest operator of high-end hotels in Asia Pacific", he concludes.Concerning this impressive growth in the region, China is a main driver. Sheraton is currently the largest global hotel brand in China, accounting for more than half of the Sheraton hotels currently in operation in Asia Pacific and nearly one third of the new hotels opening in the region this year. Sheraton Shantou Hotel marks the 60th Sheraton hotel in China, where the brand has 40 hotels in the pipeline, the largest international hotel brand in the country.