A thousand apologies if this has been posted already here on FT; if so, I've not seen it yet. In any case, the much maligned Sheraton Cancun appears to have its days numbered.

Just stumbled upon this newsy tidbit ---- in brief, it appears that the Sheraton Tower that is already there shall remain open and operate as a Sheraton for the forseeable future. However, the bulk of the old Sheraton lodging buildings will be torn down completely to make way for a new Westin Timeshare concept -- opening date 2007+.

Read on:


Printable Version
Starwood Timeshare Unit Plans Its First Latin American Property, a Westin
9/20/2005

:ORLANDO, FLA. - Starwood Vacation Ownership (SVO), a division of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., is planning its first property, the Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort, in Latin America.

:Starwood said the property would be the first vacation ownership resort in Cancun, Mexico developed by a major U.S. lodging company.

:The project comprises a resort-wide renovation and reconstruction of the existing Sheraton Cancun, transforming the property into a purpose-built vacation-ownership resort with 296 two-bedroom lock-off villas. The resort is on 18 acres of beachfront property in the heart of Cancun's Zona Hotelera, Cancun's main tourism district.

:"The Mexican market is a strategic location for Starwood Vacation Ownership that will complement our existing locations in some of the most sought-after vacation destinations," said Raymond L. "Rip" Gellein, Jr., chief executive of Starwood Vacation Ownership Inc.

:He said he expected "continued growth in north-south travel patterns throughout North America."

:With the opening of the Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort, Starwood owns three properties in the area. The company plans more development for the Southeastern part of Mexico, said Osvaldo Librizzi, president of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Latin America.

:The first phase of the project will focus on a complete renovation of all guest rooms in the existing Tower Building, which will remain operating as a hotel under the Sheraton brand. The Resort Building will be demolished, and the timeshare villas will be built in its place. This first phase of construction, including 66 villas (all two-bedroom lock-offs) as well as public buildings, pools and amenities, will be open in 2007. Subsequent phases will be built with a final expected completion date of 2010.