More than half of the Sheraton brand's pipeline in Asia Pacific is in Greater China, where the company expects to double its portfolio by 2011.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. marks a milestone in its aggressive growth in Greater China announcing the signing of the Sheraton Beijing Dongcheng Hotel, their 100th hotel in the area.

As the first international hotel chain to enter China when the historic Great Wall Beijing Sheraton Hotel was established in 1985, Starwood today is the largest international upscale hotel company in China and continues to grow its footprint there with the expansion of its brands including Sheraton, Westin, Le Meridien, Sheraton, St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, Aloft, Four Points by Sheraton and W hotels in established and emerging cities as well as resort destinations.

"With strong domestic demand, an increasing affinity for global brands and international inbound travel on the rise, our opportunity in China is perhaps unsurpassed anywhere in the world," said Simon Turner, President, Global Development for Starwood Hotels & Resorts.

"What's more, by 2020, China is expected to generate over 100 million outbound trips a year, more than triple its current output, making it one of the largest origins of outbound travel in the world. As the Chinese travel abroad, they look for brands they know, and therefore Starwood's development in China today has significant implications for our hotels worldwide."

A dominant player in the upper-upscale and luxury hotel market in China, Starwood is poised to grow in the select service segment as well as demand for moderately priced accommodations accelerates. In September, Starwood will debut its first Aloft hotel in China, with the opening of the aloft Beijing, Haidian.

Conceived by the same team that created W Hotels, aloft is designed with young, style-conscious, design-savvy consumers in mind. Four Points by Sheraton, also a select serve brand, continues to strike a chord with developers in China who admire the brand's comfortable, fun and fuss-free experience with a dozen hotels expected to open shortly.

"We expect healthy expansion as we launch Aloft throughout China and continue to expand our established brands in various Chinese cities where we are currently under penetrated," commented Miguel Ko, President of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Asia Pacific. "Starwood continues to win many new hotel projects in China and this is largely due to the confidence the development community has in our lifestyle brands, noted innovations and consistently strong delivery of results in the region."