WHITE PLAINS, NY— Starwood Hotels & Resorts is developing prototypes of its Westin and Sheraton brands in order to lower the cost of development for the two products. Essentially taking the “best of the best” from existing hotels, as well as those under development, Starwood will create turn-key models of each brand with the goal of increasing their distribution in secondary and tertiary markets. With the news of the prototypes comes the announcement that Bill Linehan, formerly of Suburban Lodges, Radiant Systems and Six Continents, has joined Starwood as vp/prototype development. Linehan reports to Ted Darnall, president of the newly formed Starwood Real Estate division. Darnall had previously served as Starwood’s president, North America. “The real estate group is charged with maintaining and owning our current asset base while growing the distribution of Starwood’s brands,” Linehan told HOTEL BUSINESS®, adding that these prototypes were created as growth vehicles for both Starwood’s as well as other developers’ portfolios. While Starwood is also working on a Four Points prototype, it is not doing so with W, said Linehan. That strategy is not surprising, since Ws are more likely to be conversions, or to take on a style for the area in which they are being built. Linehan said the Westin and Sheraton prototypes will be adaptable to their markets, and can easily be used in mixed-use development projects. Westin has already made strong headway in presenting a uniform face for its hotels in the marketplace with the amenities it provides in its rooms, including the Heavenly Bed and the Heavenly Shower. The fact that Westin has been “dramatically improved” over the years was facilitated by the fact that Starwood owns more than 50% of the Westins in North America and therefore could launch new ideas, said Steve Goldman, Starwood’s executive vp/acquisitions and development. Goldman, speaking last month at a press event aimed at debuting the many properties the company is getting ready to open, noted that Westin is positioned as upper upscale, and “between Hyatt and Four Seasons.” Westin properties that are considered “exemplary” samples of the brand— and therefore could be used as contributors to the Westin prototype— are the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa in Hollywood, FL, and the Westin, New York at Times Square, which debuts next month. Also set to open shortly is the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, AZ, and the Westin Charlotte, NC. The estimated cost per key for the Westin prototype falls in the $125,000 range, said Linehan, with an estimated RevPAR of $100-$125. Starwood has identified 700 markets the prototype would do well in. The Sheraton prototype, meanwhile, will be built at an estimated $85,000 per key, with a projected RevPAR in the $79-$99 range. Starwood is eyeing 1,400 markets for that product. The Sheraton prototype will likely include the brand’s new bedding package, as well as other design enhancements that have recently been unveiled. All told, more than $1 billion has been spent on upgrading the Sheraton flag, said Goldman. A property set to debut shortly is the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort in Phoenix, AZ, which opens next month on Native American-owned land, with a casino and golf course. Going forward with the new prototypes, Starwood is “looking where there is a propensity of ‘essential-service’ products operating in secondary and tertiary markets,” said Linehan. In those cases, he said, those “essential-service” hotels would be enjoying an inflated RevPAR because of the lack of a full-service, four-star hotel in the market. Because Starwood has not yet identified how many of these prototype hotels it will invest in itself, it is unable to reveal how many new Westins and Sheratons it would like to see built using these new models. Linehan specifically noted that while the development costs of these prototypes is more affordable, Starwood is not introducing “new” brand segments int