Stamford-based Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. plans to expand its presence in New York state by 10 hotels in the next three years.
The bulk of that growth will be in the New York City metropolitan area, but Rockland County also stands to gain a hotel.
Starwood said it will grow its portfolio in New York from 12 to 22 hotels by the end of 2018 across its Aloft, Element and Four Points brands.
The news coincides with Starwood”™s report from the 2016 American Lodging Investment Summit in Los Angeles, where the company reported 92 new hotel deals in 2015, an increase of 44 percent over the previous year. During 2015, the company opened 43 new hotels, nearly double the 2014 number, and cited a five-year growth trajectory.
The new hotels push the company”™s total hotel count above 600.
“Our strong growth in North America played a significant part in Starwood”™s record-breaking growth last year, fueled by notable increases across our brand portfolio, particularly our select service and our luxury brands,” said Simon Turner, president of Global Development for Starwood, of the West Coast report. “North America remains an extremely important market for the company, with 55 percent of our existing portfolio and one third of our global pipeline, and we see continued growth momentum across all of our brands in 2016.”
Starwood reported for 2015 its Sheraton, Westin, Le Meridien and Tribute Portfolio ”“ all described as upper upscale ”“ more than doubled their number of openings and quadrupled their number of new rooms added compared with 2014.
Regarding the New York expansion, Starwood”™s global brand leader for the Starwood Specialty Select brand, Brian McGuinness, said, “As Starwood”™s global pipeline driver, Aloft, Element and Four Points have never been stronger.” He said they held “widespread appeal among today”™s international traveler” and included a “tech-forward mindset and innovative programming””a sweet spot in the category.”
In 2018, the company said it will open Element Spring Valley in Rockland County, featuring a location in the Spring Valley Marketplace, a shopping center with more than 25 shops and restaurants.
Starwood also listed upcoming openings that included two Four Points Hotels in Manhattan ”“ Downtown and Hudson Yards ”“ as well as Aloft Hotels opening this year near JFK International Airport and next year near LaGuardia Airport. Next year will also see a Midtown Manhattan hotel and 2018 will see one in Flushing, Queens, which also will accommodate LaGuardia Airport.
“We are thrilled with the balanced growth we achieved in 2015, which grew our pipeline in North America by over 30 percent,” said Allison Reid, senior vice president of North America development for Starwood. “The number of conversions we signed last year was up significantly and new build activity also increased. Owners and developers are showing continued strong interest in Starwood”™s brands, powerful network, global booking platforms and loyal customer base.”
