Starwood president Cotter to retire in December
Robert Cotter, president and chief operating officer at Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, has announced he will retire on 31 December after more than 32 years in the hotel industry.
The group, which has in excess of 750 hotels and timeshare resorts in more than 80 countries, runs nine properties in the UK and Ireland, including the Lanesborough and Park Lane hotels in London.
After leaving college in 1973, Cotter worked with Sheraton Hotels, which was acquired by Starwood in 1998. After holding executive roles in Starwood's Europe and Asia-Pacific divisions, he was promoted to chief operating officer in 2000 and to president in 2004.
In these roles, he was responsible for company operations and deeply involved in shaping its strategic direction. In 1992, he was named as one of the 25 most influential executives in the travel industry by Business Travel News.
Starwood said it had no immediate plans to replace Cotter.
"Bob has been a mentor to many, shaping and influencing so many outstanding executives around the globe, for which Starwood is very fortunate," said Steven J Heyer, chief executive officer at Starwood. He added that Cotter had left the company in "outstanding shape".
Starwood founder and executive chairman Barry Sternlicht described Cotter as "an industry icon".
"I've had a magical career that has been both awesomely challenging and awesomely rewarding," Cotter commented. "My children have literally grown up in the business and have had the magnificent opportunity to travel the world and live on several continents where we've met many of our most cherished friends."
Starwood's line-up of brands also includes St Regis, the Luxury Collection, Westin, Four Points by Sheraton and W.
Its other UK properties are the Sheraton Park Tower, the Sheraton Belgravia, the Sheraton Skyline, and the Sheraton Heathrow in London; the Sheraton Grand Hotel and Spa in Edinburgh; the Westin Turnberry Resort in Ayshire; and the Westin Dublin in the Irish Republic.
by Angela Frewin
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