CORPORATE MOVES
The lobby of Treehouse Manchester, which opened in April.
STARWOOD HOTELS ONCE DISRUPTED THE INDUSTRY UNDER BARRY’ S LEADERSHIP
– RAUL LEAL, CEO, STARWOOD HOTELS out the potential of launching new brands or bolting on another through acquisition.“ We look at assets all the time,” he said.
Meanwhile, Starwood Capital, with approximately $ 115 billion of assets under management, has a large hotel portfolio of hotels across different brands that, at its discretion, could decide to move into one of its own brands, a process or strategy that is merely speculative at this time. Between 2013 and 2014, Starwood acquired three British hospitality groups: De Vere Group, Four-Pillars Hotels and Principal Hayley Group. In 2017, it invested $ 250 million in Yotel. In January 2024, Starwood Capital acquired 10 Edwardian Group hotels in London for an undisclosed sum. The hotels included the Radisson Blu Edwardian Bloomsbury Street Hotel, the Radisson Blu Edwardian Hampshire Hotel, and the Radisson Blu Edwardian Mercer Street Hotel.
“ The name change is a strategy,” Leal said, stressing that the goal remains quality over quantity. Though the SPG loyalty program may not be revived in exactly the same iteration, a new, broader loyalty program is in the works. Starwood currently offers the MISSION— 1 Hotels’ membership program, which it says delivers“ a hyper-personalized guest experience while providing a platform to give back to the planet.”
As part of the growth strategy of 1 Hotels & Homes and Baccarat Hotels & Residences, several new branded residences are also in development. Existing properties include 1 Homes South Beach and Baccarat Residences New York. Upcoming Baccarat Residences will complement hotel openings in Dubai, the Maldives and Riyadh, while new 1 Homes locations are launching alongside hotels in Melbourne, Crete, and San Miguel de Allende. Baccarat Brickell is planned as a standalone development.
34 hotelsmag. com May / June 2025