Starwood Q4 RevPAR Up Nearly 6 Percent

Worldwide system revenue per available room grew by 5.9 percent year-over-year for Starwood Hotels & Resorts in the fourth quarter of 2011, the company noted in its earnings report released Thursday. Properties in Latin America and North America fared best, with RevPAR increases of 9.6 percent and 7.7 percent, respectively. "Each of our nine brands performed well," said CEO Frits van Paasschen in a statement, "driving RevPAR index gains for the 10th quarter in a row." The strong quarter led to a full-year RevPAR increase of 7.4 percent for 2011. Additionally, the company opened nearly 21,000 new hotel rooms for the year, the most in Starwood’s history; more than one-third of the company's 1,090 hotels have been opened in the past five years. Van Paasschen added, "As we look to 2012, it is shaping up to be another record year of room additions and strong RevPAR growth."