Starwood Hotels & Resorts announced plans to open 50 new hotels in its Europe, Africa and Middle East (EAME) division by 2012, at the ongoing International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) in Berlin.

The group launched the Sheraton Bratislava Hotel recently and has lined up 13 additional hotels for opening this year.

“With more than 240 hotels in 55 countries in EAME, we currently have a large enough footprint to enjoy the benefits of being an established and leading hotel operator in the most highly sought-after markets,” said Simon Turner, president of Global Development.

Located in the new multifunctional city quarter Eurovea on the Danube embankment, the Sheraton Bratislava Hotel features 209 guest rooms including 23 suites. Additional flagship hotels scheduled to open include Georgia (Sheraton Batumi, Spring 2010), Greece (Sheraton Rhodes, Spring 2010) and Italy (Sheraton Milan Malpensa, Summer 2010).

“We are proud to be launching our largest and most iconic hotel brand, Sheraton, in fast-growing destinations such as the Slovak Republic and we are well positioned to continue this curve of meaningful growth throughout 2010 and beyond,” said Roeland Vos, president, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, EAME.

To maintain the brand’s leading position, many flagship Sheraton hotels are presently undergoing an enhancement programmes such as a multi-million dollar refurbishment of the Sheraton Oman (to re-open in autumn 2010).

In Africa, Starwood is scheduled to open the new Le Méridien Oran Hotel & Convention Centre in 2010. The company will also expand the presence of its Four Points by Sheraton brand in Africa this year with openings in Lagos and Tripoli.

Early this year, The Luxury Collection made its debut in the Middle East with the conversion of the Grosvenor House Hotel in Dubai.

Starwood’s luxury lifestyle brand, St Regis, is slated to open five new hotels in the Middle East and the Indian Ocean over the next five years, including Mauritius, Cairo, Doha and two in Abu Dhabi.-TradeArabia News Service