Dubai: With a strong pipeline of 63 hotels currently in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) market, Starwood Hotels & Resorts plans to open 41 more hotels in the region over the next gtwo to three years, according to Roeland Vos, President for Europe, Africa and Middle East for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.

"We have 63 hotels in Mena up and running at the moment. There is a pipeline of 41 hotels that are signed and announced — are under construction one way or the other. They will open up over next two to three years. In addition to this, we would expect a lot more to come because we would keep signing some," he told Gulf News.

"So those 41 hotels will be built, but perhaps not all of them because even in a normal cycle there are a few that fall out," he added.

In focus: Arabian Travel Market

Asked if Starwood expected any projects to be delayed, Vos said: "Not more than normal because of the homework that we have done upfront.

"What will happen is that in places like Egypt, where we have a number of projects, there would be a little bit of a delay — it could range from six months to a year."

He also said Starwood has always put a lot of emphasis on making sure that the contracts are with "solid partners".

"The contracts that we sign are with solid partners — that actually have the financial whereabouts to withstand the crisis," he said.

Right opportunity

With nine hotel brands in its global portfolio, Starwood plans to bring them all to the region, according to Vos. He said: "We will have eight of those brands represented in this market by the end his year. And, we have deals signed to have all the brands covered in this region."

Asked about Starwood's plans to have a hotel on Palm Jumeirah, Vos said that while there are no firm plans, "we would consider to go on the Crescent with one of our brands.

"It's not an active decision but it's simply that the right opportunity with the right partners has to be there to do that type of transaction."

Asked how soon that would happen, Vos said: "I don't know. For us there is no reason why we won't be on the Crescent, but only if it is with the right partnership that we believe that we can do a long term transaction with, and that it is the right location on the Crescent and that it is with the right brand. If not, I would prefer not to be there."

Starwood Hotels & Resorts saw its RevPAR (revenue per available room) in double digits on a global scale in the first quarter, according to Vos. "And we don't see any reason why those trends would not continue. So this time around we are pretty sure we will meet our targets," he said.

As for the remainder of 2011, Starwood has maintained its forecast unchanged — "which was extremely positive", Vos said.

He added that while the Middle East's political turmoil did influence the company, the Mena results in the first quarter have been "extremely good. We have been able to exceed the budgeted numbers for first quarter."

On the Middle East situation, Vos said: "We have had an impact in some markets but we have also had an upside in other markets. Dubai, for instance, has performed extremely well in the first quarter. So basically, one compensates for the other."

Overall occupancies in the company's Middle East hotels were "in line with expectations", said Guido E. De Wilde, Starwood's Vice President and Regional Director Middle East.

"But if we break the markets down and look at Dubai, for instance, which has always been our focus market, it has been bouncing back. Our occupancies for Dubai in the first quarter this year rested at 86 per cent. We expect that April occupancies will come in pretty close to this number," he said.