VP SPOTLIGHT
ECONOMIES OF SCALE Following the temporary relocation of 200 senior staff to Dubai, and ahead of a huge expansion project, Starwood senior vice president Guido de Wilde explains why it makes economic sense to bring 14,000 new rooms to the local market
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n 2011, Starwood relocated its entire senior management team to China to find out first-hand about key market drivers and actual growth potential.
As a result, Starwood now bosts a total of 119 properties in the Asian economic powerhouse, 51 of which have opened since that exercise, with a further 106 properties currently in the pipeline. In March 2013, the exercise was repeated, this time by sending 200 of the company’s top minds to Dubai for a month long, fully immersive relocation, headed by global president and CEO Frits van Paasschen (overleaf) and SVP and regional director Guido de Wilde (pictured left). During their time in the region they visited 64 open and under construction properties; met 3000 associates and 150 customers and owners; and managed to cycle almost 600km. All in a day’s work, before departing the announcement was made that 50 new Starwood hotels would open across the region over the next five years, marking a 60% growth
For the corporate traveller it’s about ‘do you recognise me, do you know me?’ That trend is global and it ties in with the mobilisation of booking systems” Guido De Wilde
W, St Regis and Westin are growing aggressively. and turning the existing global allocation of the chain’s properties and brands on its head. Properties already announced include new W hotels in Amman, Muscat, Abu Dhabi, and two in Dubai. St Regis will continue to expand in Abu Dhabi – the first city to have two such branded properties – and Doha, Cairo and Amman. Luxury Collection will open in Ajman in 2014 and de Wilde advises a “stay tuned” approach towards the introduction of Aloft to Dubai. Adding a total of 14,000 rooms, these openings and others will take the regional portfolio to 100 (see tables overleaf).
DOLLAR VALUE Guido de Wilde SVP and regional director, Starwood.
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The numbers are staggering, and scream of the heady glitz of precrash years, but the boys have done their homework. After all, van
JUNE 2013
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