Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, a leading hotel and leisure company, has announced the beginning of a month-long relocation of its global headquarters from Stamford in the US state of Connecticut to Dubai.

Starwood president & CEO Frits van Paasschen and the company's top executives will conduct day-to-day business from Dubai until April 5.

Following the company's successful relocation to China in June 2011, this second leadership move reflects Starwood's innovative management approach to cultivating a more global culture by understanding, appreciating and leveraging different societal perspectives and approaches to business and hospitality.

"With 80 per cent of Starwood's pipeline coming from rapidly growing markets, it is simply not possible to lead a truly global business from a boardroom in Connecticut," said van Paasschen.

"Rising wealth and ever greater global connectivity are creating a once-in-a-lifetime growth opportunity for our business – by fueling new demand, changing travel patterns, and entirely new travel markets.

“Dubai epitomizes this changing face of travel, and we expect this relocation will deepen our relationships with partners, associates and customers.  Just as with our one-month relocation to China in 2011, our time in-market will spark new ideas that will fortify our position as the most global high-end hotel company."

During the course of the relocation, more than 200 Starwood executives and GMs from the US, Europe, Asia and Latin America will travel to Dubai as the company runs day-to-day operations almost 7,000 miles and a nine-hour time zone away from its usual HQ outside New York City.

The team will meet with associates, customers, owners and prospective developers in the UAE and also take advantage of Dubai's location for business travel to destinations including Mumbai, Addis Ababa, Jeddah, Dushanbe and Kuwait.

"Globalization is accelerating new trade patterns, capital flows and wealth creation: this translates to more people from more places traveling to more destinations than ever before," said van Paasschen. "We are on the cusp of a new Golden Age of Travel, and Dubai is at the epicenter of this sea change."

"Working day-to-day in a different market allows you to see the world through a different lens,” he added.

"The insights that come from experiences like this move make us more agile in today's rapidly changing world.  As a company, we make better and faster decisions thanks to the diverse viewpoints of our leaders and associates.  These trips allow us to listen firsthand to what our associates around the world have to say." – TradeArabia News Service