Sheraton Hotels has confirmed it will open 20 new hotels this year, accounting for much of the growth at parent Starwood Hotels & Resorts.

Sheraton will also widen Starwood’s lead as the largest global hotel operator in China, with 12 new Sheraton-branded hotels slated to open in 2012.

Growth in the country has been driven by strong demand in second and third tier cities.

In North America and Europe, Sheraton expects to grow its portfolio by capturing its share of conversion opportunities.

“Sheraton’s impressive global pipeline is being fuelled by phenomenal demand in China and India as well as by a surge in high-quality conversions in developed markets,” said Simon Turner, president of global development for Starwood.

“In Europe, there is a large landscape of independent hotels ripe for flags, and we’re also keenly focused on an expected uptick in portfolio transaction activity in North America which should lead to even more conversion opportunities.”

Sheraton Picks up Momentum in China

Sheraton is slated to open 12 new hotels across China in 2012, reaching a total of nearly 80 hotels there by 2015.

Nearly 40 per cent of all future Starwood hotels opening in China will fly the Sheraton flag, building on the brand’s 30-year legacy in this fast-growing market.

The Sheraton brand’s rapid growth is also moving Starwood closer to its goal of opening its 100th hotel in China later this year.

“Sheraton has successfully leveraged its first-mover advantage in China, where we have more hotels in development than any other Starwood brand.

“Meanwhile, Sheraton is widening Starwood’s lead as the largest operator of five star hotels in India,” said Hoyt Harper, global brand leader for Sheraton Hotels & Resorts.

“We are also reaping the rewards of our multi-billion dollar investment to enhance the Sheraton brand over the past several years, an effort that has resulted in record-high guest satisfaction scores and phenomenal global growth.”

Sheraton Macao

The brand will mark a milestone later this year with the opening of the nearly 4,000-room Sheraton Macao, which will be the largest Sheraton, as well as the largest Starwood hotel in the world.

Offering three restaurants with poolside cafes, 140,000 square feet of meeting space and two outdoor swimming pools, Sheraton Macao is a highly anticipated addition to Cotai Strip, also known as the “Las Vegas of Asia.”

Sheraton Resorts

Sheraton will expand its global resorts portfolio in 2012 with the opening of eight new resorts in sought-after locations including Bali, Indonesia.

The development boom in China has fuelled a surge of new Sheraton resort openings throughout China in locations like Huzhou, Changbaishan and Xiangshan.

Sheraton will also open a new flagship resort in Bali, Indonesia and its second resort in Huizhou.

Emerging Markets

Adding to its current portfolio of 18 hotels in the Middle East, Sheraton will open its fourth hotel in Saudi Arabia in 2012 – Sheraton Medina Hotel.

That opening will be followed by a new Sheraton in Dubai in 2013 and two hotels in Pakistan in 2014.

Another hot growth market is Eastern Europe, where Sheraton will make its debut in the Ukraine in 2013 with the upcoming opening of Sheraton Kiev Olympiysky Hotel followed by the brand’s second hotel in Russia: Sheraton Rostov-On-Don Hotel.