Starwood Hotels announced this week that six new hotels will open in Latin America this year, including in Costa Rica, where the company plans to develop its first all-inclusive resort, the Westin Playa Conchal Resort and Spa, in the northern province of Guanacaste.
Westin Hotels is key to Starwood’s Latin America growth strategy – Westin plans to increase its Latin America portfolio by 50 percent this year, debuting in Perú, Panama and Costa Rica. Starwood’s fastest regional markets are located in Brazil, Panama and Perú.
Starwood is one of the world’s largest hotel and leisure companies, with nine global brands that operate primarily in the in the luxury and upscale segment of the lodging industry, including Westin, Sheraton and Four Points.
This week, Starwood President and CEO Frits van Paasschen and other companies directors met with owners and developers in five Latin American countries – Brazil, Chile, Peru, Argentina and Uruguay.
“Starwood is ramping up across Latin America in response to the increased demand for high-caliber global brands in a region that is poised to grow more than four percent in 2011,” Osvaldo Librizzi, president of Starwood’s Latin America division, said in a statement. “We are capturing more than our fair share of this fertile market and expect even more hotel deals to follow this week’s visit. Of particular interest is Brazil, where a flurry of hotel development is expected in the run-up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics.”
