Starwood Wins Prestigious Honor on Its First Nomination
SHANGHAI, Jan. 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Starwood Hotels & Resorts Asia Pacific recently received the "Best Leadership Practice" award at the 17th China Talent Awards ceremony held in Suzhou, thanks to its outstanding "Starwood Careers" program. This recognition marks yet another high endorsement from industry professionals.
Established in 1998, the China Talent Award is one of the most prestigious human resources awards in Greater China, often referred to as the "Oscars of the HR industry." The "Best Leadership Practice" award specifically honors companies and institutions that have developed clear talent selection, motivation, and development strategies for employees at all levels—and have executed them exceptionally well. It also recognizes excellent talent training and mentorship programs that help cultivate future industry leaders and ensure sustainable business growth.
Human Resources Director, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Asia Pacific Dylan Choong said: "We are grateful to the esteemed judges and jury members for bestowing us with such a high honor. This award is truly an encouragement to us and a recognition of our 'Starwood Careers' talent management and development program. It not only affirms our efforts in nurturing future leadership talent in the hospitality industry but also pays tribute to our dedicated mentors and colleagues who have been tirelessly implementing the various initiatives under this program over the years."
The "Starwood Careers" program was specifically designed for Starwood Asia Pacific to address the region’s unique needs. This program adopts a comprehensive strategic approach to talent management and development, proactively building Starwood’s future talent pipeline. Since its inception in 2003, the "Starwood Careers" program has trained over 10,000 employees. In 2014 alone, more than 3,000 employees in the Asia Pacific region benefited from the program.
Although this was Starwood Asia Pacific’s first participation in the China Talent Awards, it emerged as one of the 13 companies honored with this annual accolade. This recognition highlights the outstanding performance of the awardees in key areas of human capital management and development. At the same ceremony, Starwood was also shortlisted as a finalist for the "Best Loyalty & Retention Practice" award for its "Starwood Cares" program. The "Starwood Cares" program represents Starwood’s commitment to creating a more caring and supportive work environment for employee development. This award acknowledges the successful and meaningful approaches adopted by the winning companies to retain their most valuable employees.
To date, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Asia Pacific has received over 20 awards and honors in areas such as employee engagement, talent development, talent training, and best employer. The accolades earned in 2014 include:
- Best Employee Engagement Award – 2014 Human Resource Management Awards;
- Top 10 Best Leadership Development Award – 2014 Human Resource Management Awards;
- Excellence in Employee Development Award – 2014 Human Resource Excellence Awards;
- Top 10 Excellence in Leadership Development Award – 2014 Human Resource Excellence Awards;
- Best Talent Development Company Award – 2014 China Training Magazine.
Starwood remains one of the fastest-growing hotel groups in the Asia Pacific region. Currently, Starwood operates over 280 hotels and has more than 220 hotels in the pipeline. Since January 2014, Starwood has opened over 18 new hotels, encompassing all nine of its distinctive lifestyle hotel brands.
About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading companies in the world’s hotel and leisure industry, with more than 1,200 properties in 100 countries and territories and over 181,400 hotel team members within its owned and managed properties. As a globally recognized brand, Starwood is a fully integrated company that serves as owner, operator, and franchisor of hotels, resorts, and residences, and includes globally renowned brands such as St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, Aloft®, and Element®. Starwood also offers the industry-leading and award-winning SPG loyalty program, through which members can earn and redeem points for hotel stays, room upgrades, and flights with no blackout dates. Additionally, Starwood owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., whose villa-style resorts and exclusive brand privileges deliver world-class vacation experiences. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com/cn.