Former Vail Resorts Inc. chairman and chief executive Adam Aron was elected Tuesday to the board of directors of Starwood Hotels & Resorts.
“Starwood is an incredibly impressive company,” Aron said via e-mail from Greece. “They have made great strides in strengthening and growing their hotel brands on a global basis. I think their prospects in the coming years are really attractive.”
Aron announced his resignation from Vail Resorts in January, saying he wanted to leave the company “as a winner.” He stepped down the next month after Rob Katz was named as his replacement.
In June, Aron launched a Miami-based travel and tourism consulting company, World Leisure Partners Inc.
Aron is vice chairman of the Travel Industry Association of America and serves on the boards of FTD and Rewards Network.
White Plains, N.Y.-based Starwood Hotels is one of the world’s largest hotel and leisure companies, with approximately 850 properties in more than 95 countries and 145,000 employees. Its brands include St. Regis, Sheraton and Westin.
Starwood Capital Group, a private real estate investment firm led by Starwood Hotels founder Barry Sternlicht, is reportedly interested in purchasing Vancouver-based Intrawest Corp.
In Colorado, Intrawest owns Copper Mountain Resort and operates Winter Park Resort.
Staff writer Julie Dunn can be reached at 303-820-1592 or at jdunn@denverpost.com.
