W Hotels News

Starwood Sales Organization Announces Two New Global Sales Leaders and Plans for Expansion in Emerging and Developed Markets

BERLIN – March 7, 2013 –From ITB Berlin in Germany, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) today announced that it has made two key appointments within its sales organization and plans to expand resources globally.  Asad Ahmed has been named Vice President of Sales for Starwood’s Europe, Africa and Middle East division, and Alice Harrington-Caravello has been named Vice President, Global Corporate Sales, replacing Mary Casey who is now Senior Vice President of Sales, North America.  The two key appointments come on the heels of a solid year of hotel signings and strong outlook for the year ahead, and speaks to the continued strength of the Starwood Sales Organization which is currently comprised of more than 5,000 associates in nearly 100 countries around the world.

“We are thrilled to recognize the achievements of our sales leaders and are proud to announce new roles for Asad and Alice in our Europe, Africa and Middle East division and on our global team,” said Christie Hicks, Senior Vice President, Starwood Sales Organization. “As our customers become increasingly more global, we are adding sales resources around the world to ensure that we continue to provide the service that our customers depend on in markets where they are doing business.”

The Starwood Sales Organization continues to expand in emerging and fast growing markets around the world, strengthening its team with the industry’s best talent to provide informative and seamless services to its global customers that combines global expertise and local intelligence. Since 2009, Starwood has added more than 100 sales associates outside of North America, and in 2012 additional positions were added across its four divisions as a result of increasing growth in emerging markets including China, Turkey, Russia, Croatia, India, Dubai and South Africa. New roles have been created to keep up with demand, and 20 additional positions are expected in Asia Pacific and Brazil in 2013.

Starwood Appoints Global and Division Sales Leaders
Prior to his role as vice president of sales, Ahmed held the position of regional director of sales, Italy and Central Mediterranean where he was responsible for sales teams across more than 40 hotels in seven countries.  In his new role, he will oversee strategic sales efforts for the division. He has been with Starwood since 2005. Harrington-Caravello was previously managing director, strategic accounts where she oversaw Starwood’s global corporate account teams.  Now a member of Starwood’s global sales leadership team, Harrington-Caravello will work closely with divisional sales leaders and is responsible for overall global corporate account strategy.

About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1,134 properties in nearly 100 countries and 171,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, Aloft®, and Element^SM. The Company boasts one of the industry’s leading loyalty programs, Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), allowing members to earn and redeem points for room stays, room upgrades and flights, with no blackout dates. Starwood also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., a premier provider of world-class vacation experiences through villa-style resorts and privileged access to Starwood brands. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.

(Note: This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities regulations. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and involve risks and uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated at the time the forward-looking statements are made. These risks and uncertainties are presented in detail in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although we believe the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance that our expectations will be attained or that results and events will not materially differ. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.)

Article Publish Date: 03/07/2013