Starwood’s Hospitality Legacy After the Marriott Merger
Photo Credit: The exterior of the W Istanbul. On Sept. 23, Marriott's acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts will close, signaling the end of the company and its new beginning as a part of the Marriott family. Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Skift Take
Starwood Hotels & Resorts as we know it may be going away now that it'll be owned by Marriott International, but its history of innovation has had a lasting impact on the hospitality industry as a whole.
When Starwood first appeared in the 1990s, it was unlike any other lodging company out there. It wasn't a storied family brand like Hilton or Marriott. Instead, it was headed by a 31-year-old dealmaker named Barry Sternlicht, someone whom Bill Marriott once called "a kid with a backpack."
Funny how, 18 years later, things have changed so much. Today, Marriott is spending roughly $12 billion to buy the company started by that kid with a backpack.
The CEO of Marriott, the former CEO of Starwood, and More Are Speaking at Skift Global Forum 2016. Join Us.
Starwood's difference, its unique perspective as an upstart and outsider, if you will, has had a profound impact on the company's history. Because it was new, because it was the startup of its day, it needed to prove itself. It needed to constantly innovate. It needed to take risks.
Some of those risks paid off handsomely: the creation of W hotels. The Heavenly Bed. The SPG loyalty pro
