Starwood Hotels & Resorts plans to grow its Element Hotels
portfolio in North America, opening 22 more hotels under the brand during the next
three years, the company announced Monday. Markets targeted for the expansion include
Philadelphia, San Antonio, Syracuse and Calgary. Element is an upscale, select-service,
extended-stay brand that's geared toward sustainability and wellness. Starwood,
in its announcement, cited "soaring demand" as the driver of expansion
of the brand portfolio, which currently features 22 properties globally. Element
is expected to premiere in London and Tanzania in 2017, and the brand plans to open
two more hotels in China and three in the Middle East by the end of 2018. Meanwhile,
Starwood and Marriott International expect their merger to close sometime in June.