XISHUANGBANNA, China, March 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc (NYSE:HOT) celebrated the 30th anniversary of the entry of the iconic Sheraton® brand into Mainland China during the landmark Grand Opening of Sheraton Xishuangbanna in Yunnan province. As the company's largest and most global brand with a current portfolio of more than 430 hotels in nearly 70 countries, Sheraton is poised for continued growth and is on track to meet its 500th global hotel milestone in 2016. The success of the Sheraton brand in China, with the opening of 67 hotels and resorts over the past 30 years, and more than 40 in the pipeline, is a key contributor towards this milestone.
Leveraging First Mover Advantage in China
Sheraton was the first international five-star hotel chain to enter China when The Great Wall Sheraton Hotel Beijing was established in 1985. Since then, more than 40 percent of Sheraton hotels and resorts have been the first international upper upscale hotels in burgeoning urban locations across China such as Guilin, Xian, Haikou, Ningbo, Xiamen and Shantou.
"The Sheraton brand has become an icon in China, and by leveraging on our first-mover advantage, we have now grown to become the most dominant international upper-upscale hotel brand in China," said Qian Jin, President of Starwood Hotels and Resorts Greater China. "As we celebrate this momentous occasion, we would also like to take the opportunity to thank all our loyal associates, guests and partner hotel owners who have helped to grow our brand over the past 30 years. We will continue to work closely to develop even more exciting new products to meet the demands of one of the world's fastest growing markets".
Celebrating 30th Year with More Milestones
To kick-start its 30th year milestone festivities in China, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts celebrated with yet another landmark Grand Opening of Sheraton Xishuangbanna Hotel in the breathtaking Gasa Tourism Zone in Yunnan Province. The hotel not only marked the entry of Starwood into Yunnan, but also the first internationally-branded hotel in the city with hot springs on its premises. This year, Sheraton will also open its third hotel in Beijing, its fifth in Shanghai, and debut in five new markets including Bengbu, Chuzhou, Zhanjiang, Zhuhai and Harbin.
In the coming months, Sheraton Hotel & Resorts will be launching a series of marketing activities including room, food and beverage promotions in celebration of the brand's 30th year milestone in China.
Meeting the Demands of the Domestic Travel Market Segment
To meet the demands of an increasingly affluent domestic market with the means and desire to travel, Starwood has been working with partners to develop hotels and resorts with the domestic business and leisure traveler in mind, from world-class meeting venues such as Sheraton Shenzhen Futian Hotel and Sheraton Shanghai Pudong, to city hotels in secondary and tertiary cities such as Sheraton Jinan Hotel and Sheraton Changsha Hotel, as well as new resort products in destination cities.
At present, Sheraton operates the most number of upper-upscale resorts in China, with 16 stunning resorts in its current portfolio. Notable Sheraton resort openings include modern landmarks such as Sheraton Huzhou Hot Spring Resort, urban resorts such as Sheraton Dameisha Resort, Shenzhen and Sheraton Guangzhou Huadu Resort, ski resorts like Sheraton Changbaishan Resort, as well as the brand's first resort in the region – Sheraton Sanya Resort.
Five more resorts, including Sheraton Diqing Resort, Sheraton Sanya Tufu Bay Resort, Sheraton Ningbo Xiangshan Resort, Sheraton Beijing West Mountain resort, Sheraton Suzhou Taihu Resort are also due to open within the next three years.
Constantly Innovating To Provide the Best Guest Experiences
As a brand that continually innovates to allow its guests the best experiences, the Sheraton brand has been at the forefront of innovation, with an incredible story of firsts. Since its inception in 1949 as the first hotel chain to be listed on the NYSE, it has celebrated close to ten "firsts" including the launch of the first toll-free number for hotel reservations in 1970 and Link@Sheraton – an industry-first in 2006 that enabled guests to stay connected while out of town with free Wi-Fi and broadband internet access in Sheraton hotel lobbies.
In 2014, Sheraton and its owners invested US$120 million to enhance and upgrade Sheraton Club Lounges across the world, which resulted in 125% increase in Club bookings. The Sheraton Club lounge lets guests stay connected in comfort with privileges like complimentary breakfast, all-day snacks and beverages and free Wi-Fi.
Sheraton has also appointed 350 full-time Club Managers to its Sheraton Club lounges worldwide, with 62 based in China. Club Managers offer a range of personalized services as part of the Sheraton brand's continued effort to enhance the Club experience.
Developing Talent in China's Hospitality Industry
As the most global Starwood brand in China, Sheraton has also been instrumental in growing talent in the Chinese hospitality industry. As a Sheraton alumni himself, Qian Jin started his career with Starwood in 1986 when he was appointed Deputy General Manager of the former Hua Ting Sheraton, and also holds the honor of being the first ever Chinese individual to be appointed as the General Manager of an international hotel brand in China. Another notable Sheraton alumnus is President of Starwood Asia Pacific Stephen Ho, who was part of the original opening team at The Great Wall Sheraton Hotel Beijing.
At present, more than half of the 45,000 employees currently employed by Starwood in China have worked in a Sheraton hotel, and 64% of General Managers in Starwood hotels also had the opportunity to work at a Sheraton in China. The numbers underscore how the Sheraton brand has played a key role in developing Chinese talent in the hospitality industry.
Sheraton Hotels & Resorts
Sheraton helps guests make connections at more than 430 hotels in over 70 countries around the world. The brand recently completed a $6 billion global revitalization and is now in the midst of an $8 billion global expansion over the next three years. Sheraton is owned by and is the largest and most global brand of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with more than 1,200 properties in 100 countries and over 180,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Meridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, Aloft®, and Element®. The Company boasts one of the industry's leading loyalty programs, Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG®), allowing members to earn and redeem points for room stays, room upgrades and flights, with no blackout dates. Starwood recently announced plans to spin off its Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc. business, a premier provider of world-class vacation experiences through villa-style resorts and privileged access to Starwood brands, into a standalone public company by the end of 2015. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.
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