STAMFORD, CT — Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) is anticipating another strong year of growth in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2015, fueled by hotel openings and high-quality deal signings.

The company also announced the debut of Four Points by Sheraton Cancun Centro, expanding its portfolio to 94 hotels in Latin America and the Caribbean, with 13 additional hotels in the pipeline set to open by 2017.

“2014 was a great year for Starwood in Latin America and the Caribbean with growth at both ends of our business,” said Jorge Giannattasio, Senior Vice President and Chief of Operations for Starwood Latin America and the Caribbean. “Demand for business and leisure travel and interest in our innovative, design-led brands increased as demonstrated by solid growth in openings and signings, the two cornerstones of our aggressive expansion strategy.”

Starwood signed eight new agreements in Latin America during 2014, including deals to open three new hotels in The Luxury Collection and five mid-market hotels under the Four Points by Sheraton and Aloft brands. Mexico was a standout in the year with five signings, a record for Starwood in any one year in the country.

“We continue to see increased demand for luxury accommodations across Latin America, which drove signings for us last year in markets like Mexico and Panama. At the same time, there are many opportunities to grow our specialty select brands in secondary cities, which is very important in the region as business travel rises domestically,” said Victor Vazquez, Vice President of Development for Starwood Latin America and Caribbean.

With 19 hotels operating under The Luxury Collection, St. Regis and W Hotels brands, Starwood continues to expand on its luxury portfolio in Latin America and the Caribbean, and remains on track to have a footprint of 22 luxury hotels by 2017.