W HOTELS HEARS LONDON CALLING - OPENING SUMMER 2010
"As part of the W brand's global expansion, W London Hotel, Leicester Square will provide a unique alternative for our global guests while facilitating their discovery of one of the world's most fashionable cities," said Michael Wale, Senior Vice President Director Operations, North West Europe, Starwood Hotels & Resorts. "W London Hotel, Leicester Square will offer escape, exclusivity and innovative design in the heart of London's most dynamic district."
Further accelerating the W Hotels' aggressive international expansion, W London Hotel, Leicester Square will be the newest hotel to join the W Hotels brand's growing portfolio in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. By the opening of W London Hotel, Leicester Square in 2010, W Hotels will have doubled the size of its property portfolio globally. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) is partnering with one of Northern Ireland's leading construction and property development companies, McAleer & Rushe Group, to open W London Hotel, Leicester Square as part of a 10-story, mixed-use development. Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels represented McAleer & Rushe in the operator search and negotiations for the Leicester Square hotel.
"Attracting a prestigious global brand like W Hotels to the UK only adds testimony to the major significance of our Leicester Square project," said Eamonn Laverty, Managing Director of McAleer & Rushe. "This new mixed-use development of hotel, retail and leisure will create a highly visible landmark gateway to Leicester Square and forms part of McAleer & Rushe's wider involvement in the regeneration of London's West End."
About W Hotels Worldwide
W Hotels is a global lifestyle brand with 23 properties in the most vibrant cities around the world. Inspiring and indulging its guests with thoughtful, refreshing and stylish experiences, signature restaurants, bars and destination spas, W has become the fastest growing luxury hotel brand in the world. Each hotel offers a unique mix of innovative design, comfort, and cultural influences from fashion and design to music and art and everything in between. In Europe, W Hotels have been announced in Athens, Barcelona, Milan and St. Petersburg. In Asia, W has announced properties in Bangkok, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macao-Studio City, Shanghai and Yokohama. In Africa and the Middle East, W has announced properties in Amman, Doha, Dubai-Festival City, Dubai-The Palm and Marrakech. In North America and Latin America, W Hotels have been announced in Austin, Buckhead Atlanta, Downtown Atlanta, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Hoboken, Hollywood, Huntington Beach, Minneapolis, Downtown New York, Santiago, Scottsdale, South Beach, and Washington, D.C. W's first Retreat & Spa, W Maldives, opened in September of 2006. In 2007, W Maldives received the prestigious Travel + Leisure Design Award for Best Resort. W has plans to open Retreat & Spa hotels in Bali, Koh Samui, Vieques and Verbier, the latter of which will serve as W's first ski retreat. For more information, visit www.whotels.com.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with approximately 900 properties in more than 95 countries and 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood® Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels and resorts with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, Sheraton®, Westin®, Four Points® by Sheraton, W®, Le Méridien® and the recently announced aloftSM and ELEMENTSM Hotels. Starwood Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com/pressclub
McAleer & Rushe Group
Established in 1967, McAleer & Rushe Group is a leading Irish property development and investment company with their own expertise in design and build construction. They are specialists in high density mixed use schemes with current projects located in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Sheffield, Nottingham, Derby, Swindon, Southampton, Exeter, Plymouth, Belfast and Dublin. They are market leaders in the design and construction of hotels having completed over 40 hotel buildings and in the region of 10,000 bedrooms in the UK and Ireland over the last 10 years. During this time they have built an enviable reputation for delivering high quality projects on time and within budget.
About Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels
Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, the first and leading global hotel investment services firm, is uniquely positioned to provide both the depth and breadth of advice required by hotel investors and hotel companies, through a robust and integrated local network. In 2007, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels provided sale and purchase advice on 259 hotel transactions globally; representing a combined value of US$13.9 billion, a total of 54,763 hotel rooms in 84 cities. In addition advisory and valuation services were provided on 660 assignments globally for 182,048 rooms across more than 300 cities. The global team comprises over 270 hotel specialists, operating from 31 offices in 18 countries. The firm's advice is supported by a dedicated global research team, which produced over 45 publications in 2007 in addition to bespoke client research. Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels' services span the hospitality spectrum; from luxury single assets and large portfolios to select service and budget hotels, resorts and pubs. Their services include investment sales, mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, valuation and appraisal, asset management, strategic planning, operator selection, management contract negotiation, consulting, industry research and project development services. Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels' clients have access to the resources of its parent company, Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE: JLL).