Marriott and Starwood to shareholders: Vote for merger

marriotttt
marriotttt
Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

Marriott International, Inc. and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

Marriott International, Inc. and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. today encouraged shareholders of both companies to vote in support of the proposed merger, which will create the world’s largest hotel company, with 30 brands across all major customer segments, significant economies of scale and the most powerful loyalty program in hospitality. Both companies note that their renewed request for shareholder support follows Starwood’s announcement that a consortium of potential investors, led by Anbang Insurance Group, has withdrawn its alternative proposal to acquire Starwood. Marriott and Starwood will host their respective shareholder meetings on April 8, 2016 at 10:00 AM eastern time.

Marriott and Starwood will host a joint investor meeting and webcast tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM eastern time to discuss the merits of the combination.

Under the terms of the existing merger agreement, Starwood shareholders will receive $21.00 in cash and 0.80 shares of Marriott International, Inc. Class A common stock for each share of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. common stock. Starwood shareholders will own approximately 34 percent of the combined company’s common stock after completion of the merger, based on current shares outstanding.

Arne Sorenson, president and chief executive officer, Marriott International, said, “We are focused on maximizing shareholder value and from the beginning of this process we have been steadfast in our belief that a combination with Starwood will offer the highest value to all shareholders. Together, we can provide opportunities for significant equity upside and great long-term value driven by a larger global footprint, wider choice of brands for consumers, substantial synergies, and improved economics to owners and franchisees leading to accelerated global growth and continued strong returns. Our integration teams have been diligent in their work over the last few weeks and are more committed than ever to a timely and smooth transition.”

The companies also note that Starwood’s Board of Directors reiterated its unanimous support of the merger and that the Board recommends that Starwood stockholders vote their shares in favor of the pending combination with Marriott.

Investor Webcast at 9:00 AM ET on Friday, April 1, 2016

The Marriott-Starwood investor webcast will take place on Friday, April 1, 2016 at 9:00 AM eastern time and will be available at Marriott’s investor relations website

Presenting on the webcast will be: Arne Sorenson, Marriott’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Leeny Oberg, Marriott’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, and Thomas Mangas, Starwood’s Chief Executive Officer.

About the author

Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen Thomas Steinmetz has continuously worked in the travel and tourism industry since he was a teenager in Germany (1977).
He founded eTurboNews in 1999 as the first online newsletter for the global travel tourism industry.

Share to...