There's Never Too Much Luxury: Starwood Hotels Ups the Luxe ⋆ Somewhere Luxurious

A Luxury Collection Hotel
The Grosvenor House
(PRNewsFoto/Starwood Hotels & Resorts)

The number of luxury hotels and resorts on the planet will increase, with Starwood Hotels and Resorts doubling the number of its hotels in the time frame within 2008 to the present. The hospitality giant, home of W Hotels, the Luxury Collection and St. Regis, announced the opening of 50 new hotels in Europe will add at least 50 luxury hotels into the fray in Europe within the next five years. Three of these new European Starwood Hotels and Resorts will open in Turkey, and the King Hotel in Athens, a member of Starwood’s Luxury Collection will further enhance the company’s presence in Greece, which Starwood reported has the most hotels in the collection in Europe.

Among its future highlights, in the not-so-distant future, Starwood will open a W Hotel in Milan, the first ski resort for Wonderful W hotels. The new W is slated to open in December 2013. Europe, of course, is not the only target area for Starwood’s hotels, overall. Emerging markets like Ghana, East Africa, and Angola will receive new hotels from this hospitality leader. In fact, the company expects to raise its presence in Africa by adding 10 new hotels to the existing 38 in that continent. Nigeria will receive the bulk of the hotels in Africa, with three hotels slated for that country in by 2015. These hotels will meet the demands of middle class, not necessary luxury travelers, who seek accommodations in the planned Le Meridien, Sheraton, and Four Points by Sheraton brands.

On the luxury front, Starwood will revamp and renovate some of its older existing luxury hotels to bring them up to par with competitors. Starwood reported that it will spend over $200 million to this end. Other hotels, some independents, that seek to join t the chain, are expected to come aboard.

The Grosvenor House in the Luxury Collection, Photo courtesy of Starwood Hotels and Resorts