Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced today that the company has reached an important milestone in its history, opening its 1000th hotel and resort. Starwood’s 1000th hotel, which debuts today, is the Sheraton Qiandao Lake Resort located on the shores of China’s famed Qiandao Lake, also, aptly known as the Lake of Thousand Islands.
“We are delighted to welcome our 1000th hotel, and the fact that it is a Sheraton in China seems pre-destined,” said Frits van Paasschen, President and CEO of Starwood. “This hotel is emblematic of both our history and our bright future. As Starwood’s largest and most global brand, Sheraton provided us early footholds in emerging markets, including China in the early 1980s when we were the first international hotel there. Today, Starwood is the world’s most global hotel company – with plans to open 300 hotels in the next three to four years – and for the first time we have more hotels outside the U.S. than inside. And there is no more fertile ground to grow than in China where we plan to double our footprint to 100 hotels by 2012.”