Starwood Expands Global Sales Organization
Explosive Global Growth Leads to Expansion of Starwood Sales Organization in Fast Growing Markets.
DENVER, CO - August 22. 2011 - From the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) convention in Denver, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) today announced that it is expanding its global Starwood Sales Organization and has added more than 25 positions across its four divisions as a result of increasing growth in key emerging markets including China, India, Dubai, Turkey and South Africa. Propelled by unprecedented demand for hotels in the world's fastest growing markets, Starwood will open nearly 70% of its new hotels outside of North America, including more than 140 hotels in Asia Pacific. Currently the Starwood Sales Organization is comprised of more than 5,000 associates in 100 countries around the world.
“As our global footprint grows, we are expanding our sales organization in important markets such as India, China, Brazil, Russia, the Middle East and Africa,” said Christie Hicks, Senior Vice President, Starwood Sales Organization. “We are growing where our customers are growing to ensure that we have experienced and seasoned local teams to provide the best customer experience in every market.”
New Sales Positions Created in Key Emerging Markets to Meet Demand
As part of the growing the sales organization, new roles have been added to increase the ease of doing business with Starwood. Starwood recently appointed Dhanajay Saliankar as Regional Director, International Business South Asia where the company is the largest five-star hotel operator and has plans to grow its existing portfolio of 32 hotels in the region by 40% in the next two years.
Unprecedented growth in Starwood's Asia Pacific division, where the company currently has 189 hotels and more than 140 in the pipeline, has lead to a significant increase in the number of divisional sales positions. Momentum continues in emerging markets including Brazil, the Middle East, Russia and South Africa and Starwood is expanding its sales organization in markets where its customer base is growing. Additionally, lead prospecting centers have been opened in Fall River, MA, Guangzhou, China, Cork, Ireland and Singapore to focus on business development efforts.
“The expansion of our sales team truly helps us better provide service for our multinational customers as the easiest company to do business with,” said Amanda Elder, Vice President of Sales, Europe, Africa and Middle East division. “The experience and breadth of the Starwood Sales Organization and our global reach allows us to conduct business from all corners of the globe.”
Starwood Rolls out the Welcome Mat for Millions of Chinese Travelers
As one of the world's fastest growing travel markets, with 100 million outbound travelers expected by 2015, China will play an outsized role in global travel within the next decade. To prepare for this growing force of new travelers, Starwood recently announced the launch of Starwood Personalized Travel - a program of initiatives designed to serve the unique preferences of Chinese travelers. Debuting at 19 Starwood hotels in gateway cities around the globe, Starwood Personalized Travel offers a variety of simple, yet meaningful touches that matter most to the Chinese guest, including in-room tea kettles, slippers, translated welcome materials and on-site translation services. Restaurant menus will also be made available in Chinese and feature familiar favorites like congee - a popular Chinese breakfast delicacy. Starwood plans to expand its Personalized Travel program to meet the needs of the growing number of global outbound travelers from emerging markets.
About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.:
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1,058 properties in 100 countries and territories with 145,000 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®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Meridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, and the recently launched Aloft®, and ElementSM. 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 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 www.starwoodhotels.com.
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is a global leading lodging company based in Bethesda,Maryland, USA, with more than 4,200 properties in 80 countries and territories. Marriott International reported revenues of nearly $14 billion in fiscal year 2014. The company operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts under 19 brands, including: The Ritz-Carlton®, BVlgari®, EDITION®, JW Marriott®, Autograph Collection® Hotels, Renaissance® Hotels, Marriott Hotels®, Delta Hotels and Resorts®, Marriott Executive Apartments®, Marriott Vacation Club®, Gaylord Hotels®, AC Hotels by Marriott®, Courtyard®, Residence Inn®, SpringHill Suites®, Fairfield Inn & Suites®, TownePlace Suites®, Protea Hotels® and MoxyHotels®. Marriott has been consistently recognized as a top employer and for its superior business ethics. The company also manages the award-winning guest loyalty program, Marriott Rewards® and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® program, which together surpass 50 million members. For more information or reservations, please visit our website at 
