The Inside Story of Anbang’s Long Pursuit to Acquire Starwood
Photo Credit: The W Hotel in Singapore. Starwood Hotels and Resorts
Skift Take
If you thought the drama playing out between Starwood, Marriott, and Anbang was already complicated enough, wait until you read this.
If you tried to describe what's happened in the past few weeks with Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International, and Anbang Insurance Group, it might sound like something straight out of a soap opera: Starwood and Marriott seemingly broke off their months-long engagement when another suitor, Anbang, swooped in, just weeks before the wedding.
For now, Starwood has since decided to go back to its old beau, Marriott, but who knows how long the engagement will last, or if the wedding will still take place.
>>UPDATE: Starwood Hotels Bidder Walks Away, Leaves Door Open for Marriott
A new Starwood-Marriott filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on March 25, combined with an earlier filing from Dec. 22, elucidates that narrative even further. In it, a much clearer picture of Anbang Insurance Group's desire for the Stamford, Connecticut-based hotel company appears, as do the strategic moves it was willing to make in order to woo Starwood, even at the ve
