Starwood?Hotels & Resorts Worldwide aims to grow its business by 50% in Latin America in the next five years by opening an average of seven new hotels per year in the region.
Having opened its first Latin America hotel, Sheraton Maria Isabel, in Mexico City in 1963, the company now has a portfolio of 72 hotels and 15,600 rooms in 13 countries.
Since 2007, the company has grown by 36% in Latin America, including the opening of 13 hotels in the last two years.
The hotels opened recently include Westin Playa Conchal in Coast Rica, Sheraton da Bahia Hotel in Brazil, W Santiago, The Westin Lima Hotel & Convention Center, St. Regis Mexico City, Sheraton Bijao in Panama, The Westin Playa Bonita Resort & Spa Panama, The Westin Panama, The Westin Guadalajara and The Westin Santa Fe in Mexico, Aloft Bogota Airport, Aloft San Jose Hotel, Villarrica Park Lake Hotel, Le M?ridien Mexico City, and Four Points by Sheraton Mexico City, Colonia Roma.
Starwood currently has 19 hotels with 3,200 rooms under development, and expects to open six more hotels with 1,100 rooms before the end of this year.
The company eyes Brazil and Colombia as its key growth markets.
In Brazil, Starwood currently operates eight hotels, including Sheraton Rio Hotel & Resort and Sheraton Barra Hotel & Suites in Rio de Janeiro, Sheraton Vitoria Hotel, Sheraton S?o Paulo WTC, Sheraton Porto Alegre Hotel, Four Points by Sheraton Curitiba, Four Points by Sheraton Maca? and the Sheraton da Bahia Hotel in Salvador.
The company is also scheduled to open Sheraton Reserva do Paiva Hotel & Convention Center near Recife in Brazil in the first quarter of 2014.
In Colombia, Starwood currently has four hotels, including Sheraton Bogota Hotel, Four Points by Sheraton Medellin, Four Points by Sheraton Cali and Aloft Bogot? Airport, and is set to open Four Points by Sheraton Bogota, Sheraton Cartagena Hotel, and W Bogota in 2014.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts global development and acquisition president Simon Turner said, “There is strong affinity for all of our brands in the region across the luxury, upper upscale and mid-market segments, and we’re looking to build on this interest with new world-class hotels in the right places, with the right partners.”