Starwood To Buy Westin Hotels

Starwood Lodging, a leading franchisor of Ritz, Sheraton and Marriott hotels, said Tuesday it agreed to buy Westin Hotels & Resorts for about $1.6 billion in cash and debt. The transaction will create a company with 219 hotels located in 38 states, including the District of Columbia, and 23 countries worldwide. Westin, the oldest branded hotel management company in the United States, operates or franchises 108 hotels worldwide; Starwood controls about 100. Starwood, the largest hotel real estate investment trust in the nation, said the new company will retain the Westin name. Hotel industry analysts said some of the better quality Ritz and Marriott hotels might be renamed Westin.