STAMFORD, Conn.—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide announced that, with a continued focus on growth in Latin America, the company aims to have 100 hotels under operation and development in Latin America by the end of 2013. Currently, Starwood has a footprint of 71 hotels in 13 countries, and a development pipeline of 20 hotels with a total 3,300 new rooms underway.
In the remainder of 2013, Starwood expects to open seven more hotels with a total of 1,300 rooms, covering four brands across five countries.
“In the last five years, our footprint in Latin America has expanded considerably to fulfill the increasing demand in business and leisure travel that has resulted from rising wealth, global businesses and a digitally connected world,” said Osvaldo Librizzi, co-president of Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Americas. “We believe that demand for travel will continue to increase in Latin America and to meet that demand, we aim to have 100 hotels under operation, development and management contracts by the end of 2013.”
Starwood will introduce three Four Points by Sheraton hotels in key cities in the next year, including Four Points Miraflores in Lima, Peru which will open in March, followed by Four Points Cancun in Mexico in July and Four Points Bogota in January 2014. Fast-growing
The Aloft brand made its debut in Bogota and San Jose less than two years ago and continues to do well in Latin America. By 2015, six new Aloft branded hotels will open in Latin America bringing the total number to eight. This year, Aloft will debut in Panama and Mexico and by 2015 the brand will arrive in Paraguay and Uruguay.
Sheraton is on-track to open its 500th hotel in 2015. In Latin America, the brand has 30 hotels in 11 countries. The next two years will see four new hotels opening by 2014. Sheraton da Bahia Hotel in Salvador, Brazil’s second most important tourist destination, will open in March of this year, followed by Sheraton Tucuman Hotel in Argentina’s northern region that same month. In early 2014, Sheraton Cartagena Hotel will make its debut followed by Sheraton Reserva do Paiva & Convention Center in Recife, one of the host cities of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Starwood is also planning to open Palacio del Inka, a Luxury Collection hotel in Cusco, Peru, and expects to open four new W Hotels including W Bogota in summer 2014, W Santa Fe in Mexico City in 2015, and W Retreat Kanai Rivera Maya and W Panama City in early 2016.
