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New York-listed Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, operator of the Sheraton and Westin chains, plans to have up to 35 hotels in the mainland within the next five years to 10 years.

Starwood opened its 13th hotel in the mainland yesterday, the Westin Shanghai. The former Westin Taipingyang in Shanghai has been converted to a Sheraton.

Miguel Ko, president for Asia-Pacific, said: 'We have identified China as our most important market for Asia-Pacific.

'With the relaxation of laws for investment and the rapidly growing tourism industry, we believe this is a country that will give us the most growth in the next decade.'

The company's portfolio in China includes two St Regis hotels in Beijing and Shanghai pitched at the top end of the market, as well as 10 Sheraton hotels.

Next year, Starwood would open its first resort in the mainland, a Sheraton in Hainan province, and its first business hotel under Sheraton's Four Points brand in Shenzhen, Mr Ko said.

The company aimed to have five or six Westin hotels in major cities and 20 to 25 Sheraton hotels in China's first- and second-tier cities in the future.

'Excluding Four Points, I think we're talking about a maximum of 35 hotels in the next five years,' he said.

Starwood was considering opening at least two of its W Hotels, a boutique-style hotel aimed at investment bankers and those working in media and entertainment.

The company was also contemplating going after the mass market in smaller mainland cities by opening more Four Points hotels.

'This is something we are considering. We're looking for a blueprint for how to build a lot of Four Points in a very short period of time,' Mr Ko said.

Following China's entry to the World Trade Organisation last December, the government had relaxed rules on investment in the sector, allowing wholly-owned hotels and land leases of up to 50 years, he said.

Starwood now preferred either managing or entering into joint ventures for hotels in the mainland.

The company is managing the new 301-room Westin Shanghai, which was developed by a venture between Singapore-listed Asia Food and Properties and Shanghai Huangpu Investment (Group) Development.

Starwood had one hotel in Hong Kong but was considering three others, Mr Ko said.

'We hope to build a W, a St Regis and a Westin in Hong Kong - those are the three hotels we are working on quite diligently at the moment,' he said.



Starwood eyes regional expansion