Starwood Hotels and Resorts is planning to open seven new hotels in New York in 2010, bringing the total number of hotels it operates in New York to 19. These seven hotels will add 1,712 new rooms in the city, which is a fourth of the total supply for this year.
The total investment in these properties is $780 million. Starwood will be opening an Aloft hotel in Harlem in August, which will be Harlem’s first hotel in 40 years.
Starwood currently operates 12 hotels in the city, including the Brooklyn Sheraton which opened in May.
In recent months, NYC occupancy has continued to surpass 2009 levels, with June occupancy averaging 86.4%, up 5% over last year at the same time. More than 45 million tourists came to the city in 2009, exceeding expectations by 7%. By 2012, NYC anticipates attracting 50 million visitors annually – a driver for new hotels to meet demand. For the first time in nearly three decades, NY emerged as the top choice for domestic travelers.
By 2011, Starwood plans to have 75 percent of its NY portfolio freshly renovated or new construction.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1000 properties in nearly 100 countries and 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties.
