|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
China has become the richest source of new, loyal travelers for Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT), according to an analysis on the enrollment and travel trends of Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) members. The results underscore previous reports by the World Tourism Organization that forecast China as the world’s largest market for inbound and domestic tourism by 2015.
According to the analysis, Chinese enrollment in SPG jumped 50 percent in 2009 compared to last year, and SPG members now make up roughly half the occupancy of Starwood hotels in China. The rapid growth has resulted in China’s rise to become the SPG program’s fourth largest base of active members, behind only the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
At Elite levels, SPG members in China are 94 percent active in the program – the highest rate globally for the group. Further to that, the SPG program’s most significant growth area in China is in the category of guests who stay more than 10 times a year, which has grown more than 40 percent year over year. The growth in this segment is unprecedented compared to global averages and supports the strong engagement of our most loyal guests in China with Starwood and SPG.
“The Starwood Preferred Guest program has a universal appeal that translates around the globe, but the way our Chinese members engage and take advantage of the program benefits is unique to them,” said Frits van Paasschen, President and CEO of Starwood. “While accruing Starpoints® to earn Free Night awards across Starwood’s range of luxury, upper upscale and select service hotels is a key benefit, our Chinese members are also particularly interested in the status accorded by the program and the allure of VIP access. The ability to use Starpoints to redeem instant awards such as room upgrades, spa treatments and other hotel services is one of the most appealing features of the SPG program in China.”
The analysis also revealed Chinese SPG members are most likely to redeem their points for domestic travel at Starwood hotels in Hong Kong, Sanya, Shenzhen, Tianjin and Hangzhou. International travel was largely confined to Asia with most popular redemption properties located in Taipei, Taiwan; Singapore; Bali, Indonesia; and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The most favored Starwood brands for redemption are the St. Regis, Le Meridien, Westin and Four Points by Sheraton. But Sheraton – Starwood’s global powerhouse – is the overall brand of choice, capturing 62 percent of Chinese SPG member redemption stays.
Starwood to Double its Presence in China by 2012
To meet the needs of the growing Chinese travel market and SPG members, Starwood is working with its proven development partners to more than double its presence to 100 high-caliber hotels in China by 2012. China is now home to the largest number of Starwood hotels outside of North America, and it has the largest pipeline of new hotels outside of the United States. This year alone, Starwood has signed 18 new deals in China. And within two years Starwood expects to have a presence in Shanghai that rivals its existing footprint in New York City, where the company has more than a dozen hotels and growing.
Starwood Opens China’s Largest Customer Contact Center
Starwood opened the country’s largest dedicated hospitality Customer Contact Center (CCC) in Guangzhou in July. The new center, Starwood’s first in China, employs more than 100 employees trained to assist Chinese guests traveling within China as well as to Starwood’s nearly 1,000 properties around the world.
“The primary objective of our CCC in China is to build deep and loyal relationships with our guests and customers,” said Mark Vondrasek, SVP, Distribution, Loyalty & Partnerships for Starwood. “Setting up a CCC in China means we can be close to our guests, can understand the culture better and take care of their distinct needs, which will ultimately result in gaining share as the Chinese travel domestically and abroad.”
|
 |
|
