Starwood and Zhongshan Garden Hotel Company have signed a deal to have Starwood manage the Sheraton Zhongshan Hotel, the companies 20th new hotel signing in China. The newly built 350-room Sheraton Zhongshan Hotel, in the Guangdong province of China is scheduled to open in January 2009 and will be part of a mixed-use complex that will also include an entertainment and retail center.

Zhongshan is centrally located in the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong Province, 33 miles south of Guangzhou and approximately 75 minutes by ferry from Hong Kong and within a two-hour’s drive from Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Macau. Zhongshan city is well known for its cuisine and cultural heritage including the Dr. Sun Yet-Sun Museum (Dr. Sun is the founding father of modern China), scenic sights and hot spring resorts. The city is ranked the fifth largest city in foreign trade volume within Guangdong Province. Zhongshan has also witnessed rapid industrial development in recent years and is a fast emerging as the main production base in the Pearl River Delta.

“We are honored to partner with Zhongshan Garden Hotel Company Limited to bring a new Sheraton to Zhongshan City,” commented Miguel Ko, President of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Asia Pacific. “With the addition of the Sheraton Zhongshan Hotel we will further strengthen our foothold in the Pearl River Delta, a rapidly developing industrial base in China which has always seen strong demand for hotel rooms, given the growing number of international and domestic travelers coming here on business and leisure.”

The Sheraton Zhongshan Hotel will be located in Qijing Park North, Xidi Lu, Zhongshan City in Guangdong Province, providing easy access to the city’s central business district and government offices. The hotel is also within walking distance to the famous “shopping street” in Zhongshan city and will feature three food and beverage outlets, a health club and spa as well as over 15,000 square feet of meeting space.

Starwood has expanded its portfolio in China significantly in the last two years with the opening of Sheraton hotels in Haikou on Hainan Island and Dongguan, Le Meridien She Shan, Shanghai, and Four Points by Sheraton Shenzhen. In the past 24 months, the company has signed agreements to manage new hotels in Shenzhen, Xiamen, Beijing, Changsha, Haikou, Guiyang, Hong Kong, Dameisha, Urumqi, Changshu and Shanghai. With the signing of Sheraton Zhongshan Hotel, Starwood now has 20 hotels and resorts under construction in China under its Westin, Sheraton, W Hotels, Le Meridien and Four Points by Sheraton brands.
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