Starwood is reborn as SH Hotels &...

Hospitality pioneer Barry Sternlicht says “best is yet to come” with plans for UAE and Saudi

Nine years after Starwood Hotels & Resorts was bought by Marriott International for US$13 billion, it’s back, with original Starwood founder Barry Sternlicht at the helm.

SH Hotels & Resorts, the company behind 1 Hotels, Baccarat Hotels and Treehouse Hotels, has rebranded as Starwood Hotels.

Sternlicht was the hospitality innovator behind Starwood’s Sheraton, Westin, W and St Regis properties and the popular guest loyalty programme Starwood Preferred Guest.

“Reintroducing the Starwood Hotels name is personally very exciting for me. It’s a tribute to a legacy that millions of people know and trust,” said Sternlicht, founder and Chairman of Starwood Hotels and chairman of Starwood Capital Group.

Sternlicht turned Starwood into the largest hotel company in the world (measured by EBITDA), building brands such as W Hotels that are still going strong, with more than 65 properties in 30 countries. Sternlicht also refreshed the Sheraton, Westin and Le Meridien brands.

With SH Hotels & Resorts, which celebrated its 10th anniversary with this rebrand, Sternlicht says they built “three extraordinary brands, including the mission-driven 1 Hotels” adding that he didn’t “want to do another typical hotel brand after W. The world doesn’t need another brand, it needs a better one.”

The new Starwood is set for growth, with more than 40 properties open or in development across its brands, including launches in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

The 1 Hotels brand launched in 2015 with a focus on sustainability and biophilic design coupled with luxury, and the original Miami property has been joined by several more in US cities including New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, as well as Sanya in China and London in the UK. There are also plans to bring 1 Hotels to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.

Also heading to the kingdom’s capital will be the opulent Baccarat Hotels, inspired by the famed crystal brand. This follows the success of the flagship Baccarat Hotel New York, with further openings planned for Dubai in the UAE and also in the Maldives.

Rendering of Baccarat Dubai

Expected to open in 2026, the 145-key Baccarat Dubai finds home in the downtown area and will offer a 'pool sanctuary' overlooking the Burj Khalifa, a luxury spa, a Grand Salon centred around Baccarat crystal chandeliers and the signature Baccarat bar with swathes of velvet and a grand piano.

Opening in 2027, Baccarat Hotel & Residences Maldives will be partially wrapped around its own shallow-water lagoon and reef system and will offer more than 50 hotel villas, as well as 53 private residences for sale.

Completing the Starwood portfolio, London-born Treehouse Hotels is set to bring its 'playful nostalgia' to two more properties in Manchester, UK and California’s Silicon Valley in 2025, with a future opening planned for Saudi capital Riyadh.

“Our journey has just begun,” said Sternlicht. “As we embrace bold ideas, expand into new markets, and continue to reinvent the hospitality landscape, we hope to build a legacy that will inspire future generations. The best is yet to come.”

For more information, visit www.starwoodhotels.com

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