Asia President, Miguel Ko was also Recognized as Hotel Chief of the Year
SINGAPORE, July 30 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) emerged as the triumphant winner in the Travel Weekly Asia Industry Awards held in Singapore recently, earning major awards in the following categories:
1. Best Hotel Group ( International )
2. Hotel Chief of the Year: Miguel Ko
3. Best Sales Team in Asia
(Logo: http://www.prnasia.com/sa/200807290935.jpg )
"We are thrilled with the recognition accorded by the travel industry professionals! The Travel Weekly Asia Industry Awards recognizes the best in the industry and acknowledges their contributions to Asia's tourism. To be recognized and voted Best Hotel Group by our travel colleagues is certainly a great vote of confidence and affirmation in the excellent quality of our brands, our products and services," commented Miguel Ko, President of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Asia Pacific.
"We are honored to be recognized, and thank the readers of Travel Weekly for voting Starwood's Sales Team as the best in Asia! Our field sales and Global Sales teams are focused on providing clients with solutions and our Starwood brands, loyalty programs and distribution channels provide a myriad of valuable options for our customers. Plus we have fun along the way as we make sure to reward and celebrate our successes! We also provide rapid career growth opportunities so sales associates know they can reach their potential within Starwood as we offer the variety of nine brands across an extensive footprint and unprecedented growth across Asia Pacific," added Alison Taylor, Vice President for Sales, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Asia Pacific.
Miguel Ko was also voted as Hotel Chief of the Year in Asia, for his leadership, innovation and proactive approach in achieving business goals. As President of Starwood Hotels & Resorts' Asia Pacific division since November 2000, Miguel has strategic oversight of the operating and financial performance of over 130 hotels and resorts with more than 50,000 rooms and 35,000 associates in 21 countries in Asia-Pacific. In addition, he oversees the growth and development of Starwood's hotel portfolio in Asia-Pacific.
Besides being voted as the Best Hotel Group in Asia and Best Sales Team in Asia, Starwood's properties in Beijing, The Maldives, Tokyo and Hong Kong won accolades too:
-- Best Business Hotel in Asia: The Westin Beijing, Financial Street
-- Best New Hotel/Resort in Asia: W Retreat & Spa, Maldives
-- Best Executive Club/Floor in Asia: The Westin Tokyo
-- Best Hi-Tech Hotel in Asia: Le Meridien Cyberport, Hong Kong
The Travel Weekly Asia Industry Awards is an annual event that recognizes the contributions of the best in the industry, for both inbound and outbound tourism, quality of products and services, innovation and agility. Over 2 million votes were cast towards a total of sixty awards under six categories -- Tourism Products and Services, Tourism related entities, Personality, Online and Technology, Marketing Promotion and Best Employer.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts has expanded its footprint in Asia Pacific aggressively in the last few years, with a robust growth pipeline of over 80 hotels under development under its brands Sheraton, Westin, St. Regis, Le Meridien, W Hotels, aloft, Four Points by Sheraton and The Luxury Collection. The hotel giant now operates over 130 hotels and resorts in over 60 locations in Asia Pacific and is one of the largest international upscale hotel operators in Asia Pacific.
About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with approximately 900 properties in more than 100 countries and 155,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis(R), The Luxury Collection(R), W(R), Westin(R), Le Meridien(R), Sheraton(R), Four Points(R) by Sheraton, and the recently launched aloft(SM), and element(SM). Starwood Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit http://www.starwoodhotels.com .
(Note: This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities regulations. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and involve risks and uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated at the time the forward-looking statements are made. These risks and uncertainties are presented in detail in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although we believe the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance that our expectations will be attained or that results and events will not materially differ. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.)
