Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) has partnered with GJP Hotéis & Resorts to expand the presence of its global powerhouse brand Sheraton Hotels & Resorts in Brazil. Sheraton da Bahia Hotelwill be located in Salvador, one of the most important tourist destinations in the country. The 284-room historic Hotel da Bahia is currently undergoing an extensive renovation and will re-open to its full splendor by Q1 2013.
It will be operated by local hotelier GJP Hotéis & Resorts under a franchise agreement.
"We are thrilled to expand our portfolio of Sheraton hotels in Brazil and partner with GJP Hotéis & Resorts to open our first hotel in Salvador, one of the country's most important cities," said Osvaldo Librizzi, Co-President of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Americas. "This additional hotel in Brazil, highlights our distinctive positioning in this fast-growing market and the strength of the Sheraton brand in the upper upscale hotel segment."
Starwood currently operates seven properties in Brazil under the Sheraton and Four Points by Sheraton brands. Sheraton da Bahia Hotel will be the 6th Sheraton in Brazil marking another important step in the brand's global expansion plan to reach a milestone of 500 Sheraton properties by 2015. A 7th Sheraton, Starwood's 9th property in the country, is scheduled to open by Q1 2014, the Sheraton Reserva do Paiva Hotel and Conference Center in Recife.