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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) and Hainan Hua Neng Hai Bin Industrial Development Co. Ltd. have announced an agreement for Starwood to manage the Sheraton Haikou Resort, located in Haikou, the capital of Hainan Island, China. The newly built Sheraton Haikou Resort is scheduled to open in late 2005. The Sheraton Haikou Resort, together with the 2003 opening of the Sheraton Sanya Resort on the southern tip of the island, further increases the brand's presence on Hainan Island.
The Sheraton Haikou Resort will feature 330 rooms, four dining outlets, sports and recreational facilities, a health club and spa, an outdoor swimming pool and retail shops. In addition, the resort will boast over 13,000 square feet of meeting and function space for medium to large-sized meetings or group activities.
"We are honored to partner with Hainan Hua Neng Hai Bin Industrial Development Co. Ltd. on this exciting project," said Miguel Ko, President, Asia-Pacific, Starwood Hotels & Resorts. "The international status of Chinese tourism has witnessed an increase since the country's reform policy in 1978. For the past 26 years, tourists have made one billion trips to China, and World Tourism Organization predicts that by 2020, China will become the top tourism destination in the world. This resort will cater to both upscale domestic and international travelers. In addition to our new Sheraton Haikou Resort project, we have 28 hotels currently open or under construction in China under our St. Regis, Westin, Sheraton, W and Four Points by Sheraton brands," added Ko.
Haikou, the capital of Hainan Island, is the commercial hub of Hainan. The ease of accessibility and a relaxed visa policy have also increased the inbound tourist arrivals directly to Haikou. The new visa policy has played an important role in attracting tourists to Haikou, making it one of the most popular tourist destinations in China. Starwood currently operates another resort on Hainan island, the Sheraton Sanya Resort, a 511-room resort which opened in 2003. While Sanya (on the southern tip of Hainan) has traditionally been the most popular tourist destination of Hainan Island, Haikou (situated on the northern tip of the island) is also fast developing a resort presence with several new golf courses and theme parks currently being built. Haikou and Sanya both complement each other as travelers often visit Haikou before heading to Sanya and vice versa.
Since last year, Starwood has expanded its portfolio in China significantly with the opening of Sheraton hotels in Sanya on Hainan Island, Dongguan in Guangdong province and Jiuzhaigou in Sichuan province in 2003. In the past six months, the company also signed agreements to manage new hotels in Shenzhen, Ningbo, Xiamen, Changsha, Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with more than 750 properties in more than 80 countries and 110,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. With internationally renowned brands, Starwood is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels and resorts including: St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, Sheraton, Westin, Four Points by Sheraton, W brands, as well as Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwood.com.
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For additional information, please contact:
Hwee Peng Yeo
Corporate Communications Manager, Asia Pacific
Tel: (65) 6335 4837
Fax: (65) 6335 4820
Email: hweepeng.yeo@starwoodhotels.com
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