Jetsettersblog

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc (NYSE: HOT) and Guangzhou Zhong Tian Ying Real Estate Development Co. Limited have announced an agreement whereby Starwood will manage Sheraton Huadu Resort in Guangzhou, Guangdong province of China. The newly built 97-villa Sheraton resort is scheduled to open in January 2009.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts has expanded its portfolio in the Greater Pearl River Delta and Guangdong Province of China significantly in the last two years with the signing of new hotels in Shenzhen, Dameisha, Guangzhou, Zhongshan and Huizhou. With the signing of Sheraton Huadu Resort, Starwood now has 5 hotels in operation and 9 hotels under construction in the Pearl River Delta and Guangdong province under its Sheraton, Westin, Four Points by Sheraton, Le Meridien and W brands. Starwood currently operates Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, Le Meridien and Westin hotels in Macau, Hong Kong, Dongguan and Shenzhen in the Greater Pearl River Delta region.

New hotels under development in the region include Sheratons in Zhongshan, Dameisha, Shenzhen, Huizhou and Guangzhou, a Westin in Guangzhou, a Four Points by Sheraton hotel in Dongbao and a W hotel in Hong Kong. Once the Sheratons, Westin, Four Points by Sheraton and W are complete, Starwood will have more than 4,000 guestrooms in the Greater Pearl River Delta region.

“We are honored to partner with Guangzhou Zhong Tian Ying Real Estate Development Co., Limited to establish Sheraton Huadu Resort. With the addition of this resort in Huadu, we have further strengthened our foothold in the Pearl River Delta and Guangdong province, a rapidly developing industrial base in China. Guangdong has the highest Gross Domestic Product ( GDP ) of all provinces and areas in China, and is the largest light industry production base in China and accounts for over half of China’s total output.

The area has always seen strong demand for high end hotel room products and services to meet the expectations of both domestic and international frequent travelers and we are excited about our strong footprint growth in this area,” commented Miguel Ko, President of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Asia Pacific. “This new resort will be located in Beixin Town, in the northeastern part of Huadu city in Guangzhou, surrounded by mountains and lakes, and will be an inviting place for people to stay and reconnect. We are eager to offer a warm Sheraton welcome to those traveling to Huadu and look forward to complementing Starwood’s strong presence of resorts in China and Asia Pacific,” added Ko.

Huadu, located to the northwest of downtown Guangzhou, currently attracts around 3.5 million business travelers annually and is a major gateway city connecting with the northern inland area of Guangdong province. The resort will be located at the Li Tau Zui Reservoir in Beixin Town with a lakefront location and water views. It is about 45 minutes by car from downtown Guangzhou and 10 minutes driving distance from the New Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport.

The resort will be part of an integrated residential community consisting of the resort, golf driving range, 18-hole golf course, over 1,000 private villas, retail shops and two club houses. The resort’s facilities will consist of 97 villas, 13,000 square feet of meeting space, two restaurants, one lobby lounge, a health club, spa and resort style swimming pool surrounded with lavish tropical landscaping.