Starwood Plans to Double Element Hotel Chain

STAMFORD, CT—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide said Thursday it planned to double the footprint of its Element Hotels brand by 2017. The 15th property of the eco-wise extended-stay brand will mark Element’s first foray outside the US when it opens in Frankfurt this coming September, and Starwood has 15 more properties in the pipeline.

These will include a dual-brand Aloft and Element property scheduled to open in the Tobacco Dock section of East London in ’17, and next year’s launch of Element Suzhou Science and Technology Town, which will make China the only market outside the US where Starwood will operate all nine of its lifestyle brands. There will also be a dual-branded Aloft and Element in Boston, slated for a 2016 opening.