Starwood Announces Joint Venture to Build W Hotel in Mexico City

WHITE PLAINS-Now under construction and scheduled to open in mid 2002, the hotel will feature 239 guest rooms, including 12 suites and one penthouse suite, 7,700 sf of meeting space, a business center, spa and fitness center, a lobby bar and a full-service restaurant. Starwood, headquartered here, did not divulge the development cost.

“The success and growth of W Hotels since the brand’s 1998 debut is exciting,” says Barry S. Sternlicht, chairman and chief executive officer of Starwood. “Partnering with Grupo Plan Planificacion enables us to develop our second international W, and we hope to continue to partner to do many more international as well as domestic W Hotels. We are excited to see W expand into Latin America and, specifically, into Mexico City.”

Osvaldo Librizzi, president of Starwood Latin America adds, “The enthusiastic reception of W Hotels has demonstrated that there is a large market for a hotel collection that successfully marries boutique hotel flair with the quality and functionality of larger brands. With the first W in Latin America we bring to the region a new concept in hotels that sophisticated travelers from all over the world will relish.”

The hotel is located in Polanco, an area that boasts upscale restaurants and is known for its exciting nightlife. It is also home to museums, boutiques, art galleries and high-end international retailers.

Grupo Plan is a real estate development company that specializes in building properties for the Mexican tourism market. Its portfolio includes ownership interests in several Mexican hotels, including a number of unique haciendas on the Yucatan Peninsula, as well as golf and resort residential developments along the Pacific Coast of Mexico.

Starwood’s W hotel brand consists of 11 existing facilities, including its other international property in Sydney, Australia, as well as eight more hotels scheduled to open during the next two years. In addition to the Mexico City venture, W hotels are in development in Chicago (two properties), Times Square in New York City, South Beach, FL, Philadelphia, San Diego and San Mateo, CA.