Starwood Hotels & Resorts has opened its first Four Points by Sheraton hotel in the southern Chinese province of Guizhou.

　　The new Four Points by Sheraton Bijie welcomed its first guests on 28 December 2013, marking not only the brand’s entry into Guizhou, but also the first internationally-branded hotel in the city of Bijie, which lies in the northwest of the province, close to the borders with Yunnan and Sichuan.

　　It also becomes the 20th Four Points by Sheraton hotel operating in mainland China.

　　"We are excited to unveil our fast-growing Four Points in Guizhou province for the first time,” said Qian Jin, Starwood’s president for Greater China. “Four Points by Sheraton Bijie is a significant addition to Bijie city’s hospitality landscape, offering business and leisure travellers everything they need to be comfortable and productive on the road like fast and free Wi-Fi and free bottled water.”

　　Located on Dongsheng Road in the centre of Bijie, the new hotel forms part of a complex that houses the city’s largest shopping mall.

　　The property features 287 rooms and suites, a restaurant, lobby lounge, a bar with Four Points’ signature ‘Best Brews’ beer programme, and 1,193m² of meeting space, including a ballroom. There is also a 1,000m² fitness centre including a gym, yoga room, sauna, steam room and an indoor heated swimming pool.

　　Starwood is now planning to more than double its Four Points portfolio in China over the coming years, with firm plans for at least 21 new hotels.