Accelerating its global portfolio growth, Starwood Hotels has opened its first Westin hotel in South America – The Westin Lima Hotel & Convention Centre in Peru.

Centrally located in the heart of San Isidro, the financial and shopping hub of Lima, Peru, The Westin Lima Hotel & Convention Centre features 301 rooms and the largest meeting and convention facilities in Peru.

Westin Hotels & Resorts global brand leader, Brian Povinelli said: “We are delighted to make our landmark entry in South America, where we expect to aggressively grow the Westin brand over the next decade.”

“This property is a superb representation of the Westin brand, our distinctive positioning resonates well with international travellers and we are excited to bring the Westin experience to another new market,” Mr Povinelli said. 

The debut of Westin in Peru comes on the heels of the brand’s recent entry in Costa Rica, with the opening of its first all-inclusive resort – The Westin Resort & Spa, Playa Conchal. 

Westin is also poised to make its debut in Panama with the upcoming openings of The Playa Bonita followed by The Westin Panama, and increase its presence in Mexico with the upcoming opening of The Westin Guadalajara this September.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Latin America president, Osvaldo Librizzi said “Starwood’s growth leader in Latin America is Westin Hotels, which is set to double its portfolio in the region by 2012.”

“Fuelled by the success of Westin, we are experiencing strong demand from owners and developers for all of our world-class brands across Latin America, strengthening Starwood’s position as the largest four and five star hotel operator in the region.”

The Westin Lima Hotel & Convention Centre is opening under a franchise agreement between the Libertador Group and Starwood.

The two companies previously partnered to open two Luxury Collection properties:  Hotel Paracas Resort in 2009 and Tambo del Inka Resort & Spa in 2010, located in Valle Sagrado near Machu Picchu.

City.Mobi

Also in South America today, City.Mobi is celebrating the success of its new guide to Lima. 

City.Mobi offers the most comprehensive mobile travel guides available, with over 800 cities in 200 countries listed. Each is developed by the City.Mobi team to combine into a single global travel directory.

However, each city retains its own mobile identity via a dedicated domain. Already on offer are Brussels.Mobi, Paris.Mobi, Sanfrancisco.Mobi and Sydney.Mobi.

Lima.Mobi is the latest in this illustrious line up, offering click to call functionality – which means no scribbling down telephone numbers.

Most entries are also linked to websites where users can quickly access more detailed information if needed.

Other key features include information on accommodation, restaurants, attractions, entertainment, nightlife, shopping, and transport.

City.Mobi guides include user reviews and traveller utilities such as a translation guide, currency converter, news and local weather guide.