Sheraton is set for a huge year in 2014, with a record number of hotels opening.
Parent company Starwood revealed the news at the Sheraton Hotels General Manager Summit in Seattle, saying its largest and most global brand is poised for record-breaking growth over the next 12 months with 35 new hotels expected to open.
Nearly half of the new Sheraton hotels will open in China, while, Sheraton will also enter numerous new markets including Samoa, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan, and return to Iraq.
The brand is also set to return to Melbourne in April.
“Sheraton continues to grow at a phenomenal pace by leveraging its first-mover advantage in markets across the globe,” said Hoyt Harper, Global Brand Leader for Sheraton Hotels and Resorts.
“Asia Pacific continues to drive the brand’s future pipeline growth, but we are also experiencing strong demand in other emerging markets including Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
“In addition, the resounding success of our brand-wide revitalization and multi-billion dollar investment to enhance the brand over the past several years has led to a growing number of conversion opportunities in more mature markets.”
After topping 100 hotels in Asia Pacific in 2013, Sheraton continues to build momentum in the region with 23 openings expected over the next 12 months.
Sheraton will open approximately one hotel every three weeks in China alone, reflecting the brand’s aggressive growth primarily in the country’s secondary and tertiary markets.
The brand will launch in Wuhan, Shaoxing, Nanchang, Zhengzhou, and Qingdao, while adding its third hotel in Beijing and fifth in Shanghai.
More than 13 additional Sheraton hotels are slated to open in China by 2017.
Sheraton is also gaining momentum in India, where it will add three additional hotels to its portfolio over the course of this year and 2015, with openings slated for Bengaluru, Noida and Chandigarh.
In addition, the global powerhouse will enter several other new markets in Asia Pacific in the next 12 months including New Caledonia, Samoa and Sri Lanka.
Sheraton will add two new hotels in key emerging markets across Europe over the next 12 months. Openings will include Sheraton Rostov-On-Don Hotel in Russia and the Sheraton Ismayilli Resort and Spa in Azerbaijan. Last month, Sheraton opened Sheraton Zurich Hotel, marking the brand’s second hotel in the financial capital of Switzerland.
In the Middle East, Sheraton will open seven new hotels, increasing its portfolio to 23 hotels by February 2015. Highlights include the Sheraton brand’s debut in both Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, and its return to Iraq with the opening of Sheraton Dohuk Hotel in 2014, followed by Sheraton Erbil Hotel in early 2015.
Other openings include the brand’s fourth hotel in Saudi Arabia (Sheraton Medina Hotel) and fifth in Dubai – the 660-room Sheraton Dubai Tower Sheikh Zayed Road Hotel.
In Africa, Sheraton will open new hotels in Mauritania, Guinea and South Sudan by 2017. These recent signings increase the Sheraton pipeline in Africa to six new hotels.
“Sheraton is truly a global pioneer with a long legacy of reaching new markets first and building meaningful relationships with owners and developers,” said Simon Turner, President of Global Development for Starwood.
“The result is that Sheraton is leading Starwood’s global pipeline growth and creating opportunities for the further development of all our brands in diverse markets worldwide.”
Within Latin America, Brazil is one of Starwood’s most promising growth markets as the country accelerates infrastructure development ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics.
This year, Sheraton will open its seventh hotel in Brazil — Sheraton Reserva do Paiva Hotel and Convention Center, following last year’s opening of Sheraton da Bahia Hotel in Salvador, Brazil.
Next month, Sheraton will mark its return to the Dominican Republic with the opening of Sheraton Santo Domingo Hotel, ideally located on Avenida George Washington, the city’s luxurious waterfront avenue lined with palm trees and casinos.