What does STARWOOD stand for? 

Starwood

Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, LLC is a subsidiary of Marriott International. Prior to its merger with Marriott, it was an American hotel and leisure company headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. It was one of the world's largest hotel companies that owns, operates, franchises and manages hotels, resorts, spas, residences, and vacation ownership properties under its 11 owned brands. As of 1 December 2014, Starwood Hotels and Resorts owned, managed, or franchised over 1,200 properties employing over 180,400 people, of whom approximately 26% were employed in the United States.On November 16, 2015, Marriott International announced that it would purchase Starwood Hotels and Resorts for $13.6 billion, creating the world's largest hotel chain once the deal closed. The merger was finalized on September 23, 2016, after gaining the final approval from the American authorities. After the acquisition by Marriott was approved, the Starwood Preferred Guest program announced that it would provide reciprocal benefits with Marriott's guest reward program. The two programs were merged under a single brand on August 18, 2018.

see more »