If you haven’t heard of Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, I wouldn’t be surprised. Those are not the names of their hotels, only the name of the corporation itself. Starwood Hotels and Resorts is a massive corporation that either owns, operates, or has franchised hotels and resorts that are located all across the world. The company originally was founded in 1969, but as a real estate investment firm looking for tax break advantages. After owning a few hotels in the United States the company grew and was incorporated in 1980. Based out of Stamford, Connecticut the company today employs more than 180,000 people and saw $6.1 billion dollars in revenue last year. This money comes from the variety of hotel brands that they own, and we are going to take a look at the brands they own, some of which should surprise you.
Sheraton Hotels and Resorts
First and foremost is Sheraton. The various Sheraton Hotels and Resorts is Starwood’s largest hotel brand with over 400 locations worldwide. They are their flagship hotel and resort brand, and are easily their best known hotels. Sheraton was originally founded in 1937 and Starwood acquired the brand in 1998.
Four Points by Sheraton
In addition to acquiring Sheraton, Starwood also acquired their Four Points brand which are their more moderately priced. Targeted at regular travelers and business people, Four Points is a more affordable hotel. They have around 150 locations across 24 countries.
Westin Hotels & Resorts
Starwood also owns and operates all the Westin hotels and resorts around the world, of which there are about 200 hundred. Westin Hotels and Resorts was originally established in 1930, making it Starwood’s oldest brand. These hotel and resorts are known for their luxury and Starwood Hotels acquired the brand in 1994.
Le Méridien
Established in 1972 by Air France, Le Méridien is an upscale European hotel chain that focuses on luxury and design. They have over 120 hotels in 50 countries across the world and Starwood acquired the brand in 2005.
St. Regis
Easily the most prominent brand that Starwood owns are the St. Regis hotels and resorts. They are their main-luxury brand and are well known for their resorts in exotic location, in addition to the famous hotel in New York that was built in 1904. Starwood acquired the brand in 1999.
So now it should be no surprise as to why Starwood Hotels and Resorts is such a massive company, and one of the leaders in the hotel and resort industry as they own just so many of the big players. These are only some of the brands that Starwood owns, but these are easily their most prominent ones.
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