Rejuvenated Four Points Sweeps Travel-Industry Survey, Earning Number-One Ranking for Select-Service Category.

A billion-dollar rejuvenation has paid off for Four Points by Sheraton: For the first time, the sizzling brand from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (HOT) has earned the number-one ranking in its category in a much-anticipated annual survey by industry authority Business Travel News. Business Travel News readers ranked Four Points at the top of the select-service category across seven categories in the 2011 U.S. Hotel Chain Survey: Meeting Facilities, Corporate Rate Program, Commission Payment System, Quality of Food, Quality of Staff, In-Room Business Amenities, and Overall Price/Value Relationship.

At Four Points, guests travel the way they like with genuine service and modern style. Four Points is always an honest value, with great amenities like free bottled water, free Wi-Fi in public spaces and free internet access in all guestrooms. A delicious breakfast with great coffee - and refreshing, local beer with Best BrewsSM - helps guests start and end the day right. Four Points gives travelers everything they need to be comfortable and productive on the road.

The winning score in this year's survey reflects dramatic improvements for Four Points; the brand was ranked seventh in last year's survey, and fifth in the 2009 poll. Powerful positioning around value, comfort, and convenience has propelled Four Points to become the third-largest brand with the second-biggest global pipeline in Starwood's portfolio.

As Business Travel News notes in its February 28 issue, about 80 percent of the Four Points portfolio worldwide is new or newly updated after a massive investment in renovations, new builds and a global growth plan. Four Points also removed a few properties that "did not meet brand standards," Business Travel News reported.

"The Business Travel News survey results are really a tribute to our associates and partners around the world, who have helped make Four Points one of the best-loved, fastest-growing brands in the industry," said Brian McGuinness, Senior Vice President of Specialty Select Brands for Starwood. "Tremendous investment went into the brand, and it's enormously gratifying for us that travel professionals are having the same very positive response as our guests around the world." Business Travel News has been the voice of authority for corporate travel buyers throughout North America for over 25 years. Business Travel News' U.S. Hotel Chain Survey annually measures corporate travel buyer opinions of the lodging brands they use. BTN emailed corporate readers responsible for hotel-buying decisions, asking them to rate hotels, arranged by tier, with which they did business in the past year. Equation Research tabulated ratings from 519 respondents. Buyers rated hotels in each segment on as many as 13 attributes, each on an ascending numerical scale from one to five.

Four Points' triumph in the Business Travel News survey comes as the brand continues a turbo-charged global expansion. Four Points will open 22 new hotels around the world in 2011. Two new hotels will open in each of several key global markets, including China, India, Thailand, and Malaysia; twelve new properties will debut in the U.S., and one in Canada. With the openings, Four Points will command a presence in 26 countries, up from 24 in 2010. About Four Points by Sheraton Great Hotels. Great Rates: With 157 Four Points hotels in 26 countries and territories, travelers can find a great stay with modern style, genuine service and timeless comfort they're looking for, all around the world. From Santiago to Shanghai and Milan to Milwaukee, Four Points hotels can be found in big urban centers, by the airport, near the beach, and in the suburbs. A recent $1 billion invested in renovations, conversions, and new-build hotels has made the brand stronger than ever.

Four Points by Sheraton, like all brands within Starwood's portfolio, is proud to offer the Starwood Preferred Guest[R] program, which offers a breakthrough policy of no blackout dates on Free Night Awards. To learn more, visit www.spg.com. About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1025 properties in 100 countries and territories with 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis[R], The Luxury Collection[R], W[R], Westin[R], Le Meridien[R], Sheraton[R], Four Points[R] by Sheraton, and the recently launched Aloft[R], and Element SM. 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.

Keywords: Asia, China, Food Quality, Inc., India, Malaysia, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., Thailand.

This article was prepared by Journal of India editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2011, Journal of India via VerticalNews.com.