The rise in high net worth individuals in China and around the globe has paved the way for the expansion of Starwood's luxury brands, St. Regis, The Luxury Collection and W Hotels.

"As demand grows, we are seeing a change in luxury consumption as travelers become more connected, more diverse, and more sophisticated. The same trends can be observed with our Chinese travelers," said Stephen Ho, President, Asia Pacific, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. "Luxury is no longer a one-size-fits-all proposition. What once was prescribed is now personalized with less formality and more fun. At Starwood, we feel uniquely suited to benefit from these major shifts. With nine luxury hotels operating under our St. Regis, Luxury Collection and W brands in Greater China, and 18 more in the pipeline, we are the true leader in this space."

Industry innovator W Hotels will debut the first W hotel in mainland China with W Guangzhou by the beginning of 2013. It is also preparing to open another 4 hotels by 2017 in Macau, Beijing, Shanghai and Changsha.

Since its first debut with The Astor Tianjin Hotel (pictured above) in 2008, Starwood's distinctive Luxury Collection brand will have quadrupled its footprint by the end of 2012 with the openings of The Hongta Hotel, Twelve at Hengshan in Shanghai, and The Royal Begonia on Hainan Island, China’s first Luxury Collection resort. Five more hotels are scheduled to debut under the Luxury Collection by 2016 in key cities including Dalian, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Xiamen and Nanning.

After a growth spurt of three openings in 2011, including hotels in Shenzhen, Sanya, and Tianjin, St. Regis has fast become a favorite for visiting heads of state and celebrities. With current presence in Beijing, Lhasa, Sanya and Shenzhen, St. Regis will debut more than six hotels in Changsha, Macau, Chengdu, Lijiang, Zhuhai and Nanjing.

Demand for upper-upscale hotel brands in resort destinations are also on the rise, as a limited supply of rooms in popular destinations are being outstripped by the growing numbers of Chinese luxury travelers.

"Our portfolio of distinct brands and our brand recognition across China and around the world, allows us to enter multiple resort destinations like Hainan, leveraging collective local scale without cannibalizing business, so we get more than our share of new business," said Qian Jin, President, Greater China, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. “Home to seven properties in Hainan, Starwood is set to open five more hotels by the end of 2014 to respond to growing demand. Demand for resort destinations also extends from tropical getaways such as Hainan. In July, Starwood will open its first dual-branded ski resort - the Westin and Sheraton Changbaishan."