LAS VEGAS– Receiving an award an HD Expo here, Starwood Capital chairman Barry Sternlicht provided more detail on 1 Hotels & Resorts and Le Crillon Hotels as well as confirmed he will launch a third brand. 1 Hotels & Resorts, known for its positioning as an environmentally friendly brand, will debut in Seattle. Three other sites are in development–one in Europe and two in the United Arab Emirates. The brands Web site debuts next month. Sternlicht said there was broad support among consumers for sustainable hotels, but that developers couldnt promote environmental consciousness at the expense of guest comfort. “It cant just be sleeping on burlap sheets and eating carrots,” the former head of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide said. Starwood Capitals second brand, Le Crillon Hotels, is based on the iconic Paris luxury property that the private equity firm acquired last year. Sternlicht said a number of development sites in major gateway cities were being considered, though he declined to be more specific. He also remained aloof about the nature, name, or even price point of the third brand, though he said Starwood Capital was moving closer to making a formal announcement.
