Top sell for Starwood's high-end brands

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BAKI: RAK to become top luxury destination.

Starwood Hotels and Resorts' Middle East expansion will continue to aim at the top end of the market, with the announcement of several brands set to debut across the region.

Last month the company announced a 300-room St Regis branded property would open in Bahrain in 2011 - following earlier announcements for St Regis branded properties in Doha and Cairo - a 300-room Luxury Collection property would be opened in Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates, and a 150-room W branded property would open in 2010 as part of a mixed use development in Marrakech, Morocco.

Speaking to Hotelier Middle East at Starwood's road show in Dubai last month, sales vice president Europe, Africa and Middle East Kip Horton said the key to the company's growth was demand diversification.

"The joy with us is that we have nine brands, and those brands really cover everything you might want," he explained.

Starwood regional director of sales and marketing Middle East Ahmed Baki said the region was of particular interest to the high end of the market.

"If you look at where our top hotels [in Europe] get their business, it is mainly from the Middle East and Russia," he said. "This is where you find the high spenders worldwide."

He said the company was looking at locations like Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Ras Al Khaimah because of their potential to form niche ‘destinations within a destination'.The company was currently working with airlines, travel agents and travel professionals to create demand for properties planned in Aqaba, Jordan, and would employ the same tactics to launch brands in other destinations.

"We always go and do destination marketing first to create the demand for customers to come and experience our brands," he said. "The same strategy will be used for Ras Al Khaimah. At the moment it is not a high end destination, but it is going on a trend where it will become the top end destination. It will be the alternative to Dubai in a way... it will become one of the top luxury destinations in the UAE."

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