LOS ANGELES Watch for more W hotels to spring up in suburban locations. Ted Darnall, president, North America hotel operations for Starwood Hotels & Resorts, said during a panel at the UCLA Investment Conference here that development plans for the brand now include suburbia.
We see a huge opportunity in suburbia [for W]and that is where most of our development will be in the future.
W thus far has seen great success in urban locations; Starwood considers the W San Francisco property to be its most successful hotel launch ever. The brand has also dramatically increased its distribution in New York City, where it most recently opened a hotel in Union Square in Greenwich Village.
Darnall said that since W s launch in recent years, the brand has not cannibalized clientele from Starwood s other brands, like Westin and Sheraton, located nearby. W has totally brought new customers to our system, he said. The brand also sells at a rate premium, he added.
Plans also include expanding the brand s distribution worldwide; Mexico City and Sidney properties have already been announced. (1/17/01) Ruthanne Terrero