Who Owns Westin Hotels & Resorts? Ownership Explained

Who owns Westin Hotels & Resorts? The answer is Marriott International, the world's largest hotel company. Marriott acquired Westin in 2016 when it bought Starwood Hotels & Resorts for $13.6 billion. Westin now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary and brand within Marriott's portfolio.

The Direct Answer: Who Owns Westin Hotels

Marriott International, Inc. owns the Westin brand. It's a public company traded on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol MAR, headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. Westin sits within Marriott's portfolio as one of more than 30 brands across various price tiers.

Westin is classified as an upper-upscale brand positioned below full luxury tiers like Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis, but a step above standard full-service options like Sheraton or the core Marriott Hotels brand. It's wellness-focused hospitality at a premium-but-not-ultra-luxury price point.

Westin properties participate in Marriott Bonvoy, the unified loyalty program Marriott launched in 2019 after consolidating its reward programs following the Starwood acquisition.

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Brand Ownership vs. Property Ownership: An Important Distinction

This is where most people's understanding of hotel ownership gets fuzzy and it's worth clearing up.Marriott owns the Westin brand the name, the design standards, the operating systems, and the loyalty integration. What Marriott generally does not own is the physical building that a Westin hotel sits in.

Most individual Westin hotels are owned by third-party real estate investors, private equity firms, or real estate investment trusts (REITs). Those owners then either franchise the Westin name from Marriott, or hire Marriott directly to manage the hotel on their behalf under a management contract.

Franchised Properties

In a franchised Westin, the property owner pays Marriott royalties to use the brand name and operate under its standards. The owner handles day-to-day operations. Royalties run at approximately 7% of monthly gross room sales and 3% of gross food and beverage sales, based on publicly available franchise disclosure data. Roughly half of all Westin units globally operate under a franchise model.

Managed Properties

In a managed property, the third-party owner still holds the real estate, but Marriott's team runs the hotel directly under a management contract. The owner essentially hires Marriott as the operator. Marriott charges management fees in return.

So when you stay at a Westin, you're experiencing a brand that Marriott owns and sets standards for but the building itself, the staff payroll, and the real estate investment behind it are often managed by an entirely different company.

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The Full Ownership History of Westin Hotels

Westin has had a surprisingly complicated ownership journey for what is now, at its core, just one brand inside a massive hotel company. Understanding how it got here helps explain why the brand still carries its own distinct identity.

Founded as Western Hotels (1930)

The chain started in 1930 in Seattle. Severt Thurston and Frank Dupar competing hotel owners  ran into each other at a coffee shop in Yakima, Washington, during the Great Depression and decided cooperation made more sense than competition. They joined forces with Peter and Adolph Schmidt, who operated five hotels in the Puget Sound area, and together formed Western Hotels. 

The chain opened with 17 properties across Washington and Idaho.Western Hotels expanded steadily through the 1930s and 1940s  into Vancouver, Oregon, Alaska, and California. By 1958, the properties were brought under a unified corporate identity. The company renamed itself Western International Hotels in 1963, and then shortened that to Westin Hotels in 1981 a contraction of the two words.

United Airlines and the Allegis Experiment (1970–1988)

In 1970, Westin merged with United Airlines, though it continued operating as an autonomous subsidiary. In 1987, UAL chairman Richard Ferris tried something ambitious he attempted to bundle United Airlines, Westin, Hertz, and Hilton International into one travel conglomerate called Allegis Corporation.

The idea was a one-stop shop for travel.It didn't work. Investors pushed back, the strategy collapsed, and Westin was sold off. In 1988, the Japanese firm Aoki Corporation purchased Westin for $1.35 billion.

Aoki Corporation (1988–1995)

Aoki held Westin through a difficult period. By the early 1990s, the Japanese real estate bubble had burst, and Aoki's finances were strained. The company sold Westin in late 1994 to Starwood Capital Group and Goldman Sachs for approximately $537 million a significant loss from the $1.35 billion it had paid just six years earlier.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts — and a Name Worth Clarifying (1995–2016)

Here's something that trips people up: Starwood Capital Group and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide are two different companies. Starwood Capital Group is a real estate private equity firm. 

It bought Westin alongside Goldman Sachs. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide was a separate publicly traded hotel operating company that eventually assumed full ownership of Westin by 1998.Under Starwood Hotels, Westin became one of the company's flagship upper-upscale brands alongside Sheraton, W Hotels, and others. It stayed in this structure for roughly 18 years.

Marriott Acquires Starwood — and Westin With It (2016–Present)

In September 2016, Marriott International completed the acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide for $13.6 billion. It was the largest hotel merger in history at the time. The deal brought 11 Starwood brands under Marriott's umbrella  including Westin, Sheraton, W Hotels, St. Regis, Le Méridien, and others.

Marriott's global portfolio expanded to over 30 brands and more than 1.1 million rooms. Westin became part of what is now the world's largest hotel company by number of rooms.

Where Westin Fits in Marriott's Brand Portfolio Today

Marriott organizes its brands into tiers ranging from luxury to select service. Westin is positioned in the upper-upscale tier the second tier from the top.

Above Westin sit brands like The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, and JW Marriott full luxury with correspondingly higher price points. In Westin's same upper-upscale tier are brands like Marriott Hotels and Renaissance. Below that tier you'd find Sheraton and Westin's Select Service cousins.

Westin's specific differentiator within that tier is wellness. The brand built its identity around sleep quality, nutrition, fitness, and holistic well-being most visibly expressed through the Heavenly Bed it introduced in 1999. Marriott has largely kept this positioning intact since the acquisition rather than blending Westin into a more generic identity.

Westin's Current Scale and Global Presence

As of the most recently available data, Westin operates approximately 220 to 240+ properties across roughly 40 countries and territories. The exact count shifts as new properties open and others leave the brand. Around 60% of locations are in the United States.

Approximately half of all Westin units are franchised. The brand generates an estimated $4+ billion in annual sales, based on publicly available franchise disclosure data  though this figure reflects total system-wide revenue, not Marriott's fee income from the brand alone.

The brand continues to expand. A new all-inclusive Westin resort in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, is expected to open in 2026, which would mark the brand's first formal venture into the all-inclusive resort model.

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Key Takeaways

Marriott International owns the Westin brand, acquired via the 2016 Starwood deal. Marriott holds the brand  not the buildings. 

Individual properties are typically owned by third parties and franchised or managed by Marriott. Westin operates as an upper-upscale, wellness-positioned brand within Marriott Bonvoy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Marriott own the physical buildings of Westin hotels?

Generally, no. Marriott owns the Westin brand, not the real estate. Most individual Westin hotels are owned by third-party investors and either franchised from or managed by Marriott.

Is Westin the same as Marriott?

No. Westin is a separate brand within Marriott's portfolio. It has its own positioning, standards, and identity distinct from Marriott Hotels or any other brand in the family.

What happened to Starwood Hotels?

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide was acquired by Marriott International in September 2016 and no longer exists as an independent company. Its brands, including Westin, now operate under Marriott.

Can someone buy a Westin franchise?

Yes. Qualified hotel developers or investors can license the Westin name through a franchise agreement with Marriott. Approval, brand compliance, and ongoing royalty payments are required.

Is Westin part of Marriott Bonvoy?

Yes. All Westin properties participate in Marriott Bonvoy, the loyalty program that replaced both Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) when the two companies merged.