Starwood bosses brainstorm in Dubai

23 August 2006

A total of 350 top Starwood executives from different corners of the world will meet in Dubai in August to discuss and drive forward Starwood’s new branding philosophy, strategies and service initiatives. Amongst the high profile delegates at the events are Mr. Javier Benito, Executive Vice President Marketing and Chief Marketing Officer, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide; Mr. Roeland Vos, President Europe, Africa and Middle East, Chad Waetzig, Senior Vice President, Sheraton Marketing and Eva Ziegler, Senior Vice President Le Meridien Brand.

“We are so proud and thrilled to host this major event in Dubai. With the gigantic growth of Starwood operations in the United Arab Emirates following the Le Meridien acquisition, Dubai has become the natural choice for such key and large-scale conferences,” said Guido De Wilde, Vice President, Regional Director for Starwood Hotels and Resorts in the Middle East.

“The United Arab Emirates hosts 40 percent of Starwood’s portfolio in the Middle East,” De Wilde added.

Grosvenor House and Le Royal Meridien will be hosting the six-day event, which will include several workshops and presentations to illustrate the impact and integration of the new brands’ strategies into operations, as well as sales, marketing, finance and human resources.

“As new members to the family, the Grosvenor House and Le Royal Meridien are honoured to be hosting top management from Starwood for this prestigious event, said Pam Wilby, General Manager for both hotels.

“The Starwood conference allows the entire company to share ideas and experiences in pursuit of continuing excellence,” Wilby added.

Other developments

Starwood has also appointed Daniel Kerzner as regional director of online marketing, north-west Europe.

Kerzner, previously director of field marketing at Starwood in Canada, will report to Paul James, regional director for sales and marketing, north-west Europe.

This comes as the firm elects Adam Aron to its board. Aron is the chairman and chief executive officer of World Leisure Partners Inc.

He is a former chairman and chief executive officer of Vail Resorts Inc, Aron was also president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Ltd, and served in senior marketing roles at United Airlines and Hyatt Hotels and Resorts.

Starwood has also been nominated this year for a