WHITE PLAINS, NY— As previously reported by HOTEL BUSINESS®, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has appointed Steve Marx, a former Kimpton Hotels executive as senior vp of hotel operations for the brand. In addition, the company named Polo Brands executive and retail industry veteran Ross Klein as chief marketing officer for W Hotels. A 30-year hotel industry veteran, Marx was one of the original boutique hoteliers during his tenure as vice president of hotels at Kimpton Hotels. As head of the Kimpton Hotel Group, Marx opened 13 hotels including the Hotel Triton in San Francisco, plus the original Monaco hotel, the Hotel Monaco in San Francisco, and several other Monaco hotels around the country. Most recently, Marx served as president and COO for the Boutique Hotel Group that operates a number of hotels primarily in New York City. In his new role with W, Marx will report to Robert Cotter, Starwoods president and COO. Klein has spent his career in the retail industry, most recently as senior vice president of corporate marketing for Polo Brands for Jones Apparel Group. In this capacity, Klein oversaw all aspects of marketing for Polo Jeans Company, Ralph by Ralph Lauren and Lauren by Ralph Lauren. “W has had an overwhelming reception in the marketplace. As a result, we have 20 W hotels open or under construction and we are now at the point of rapidly expanding the brand both in the U.S. and abroad. We needed to recruit executives who are creative and willing to push the envelope a bit, and who also understand our version of “boutique” which combines distinctive product with great W service. Steve and Ross are innovators in their fields, and should enable us to enhance the W philosophy as we continue to grow the brand to target a goal of 50 hotels in the next five years,” said Barry Sternlicht, Starwoods chairman and CEO.
