Michael Wale has been appointed Senior Vice President Western Europe at Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. in Brussels, Belgium.

Michael Wale

　　Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. today announced that Roeland Vos, long-time President of Starwood’s Europe, Africa, & Middle East (“EAME”) region, will step down and be succeeded by Michael Wale, a 35-year Starwood veteran who most recently served as Senior Vice President and Director of Operations for Western Europe. Mr. Vos will transition into a consulting role with the company, effective June 1, 2013. Mr. Vos joined Starwood in 1982 and has held progressive management positions throughout his career, including President, Europe and SVP, Area Director of Italy & Malta. In 2001, he was appointed President, EAME, and under his leadership Starwood grew from 127 properties in the region to 243 hotels and resorts in 60 countries with an additional 64 hotels in the pipeline today. Mr. Wale began his career with Starwood as a graduate trainee in 1978 at what was then ITT Sheraton.

　　In his most recent role, he was responsible for managing Starwood’s operations in Western Europe, leading 54 hotels across eight brands in 13 countries. Previously, Mr. Wale held progressive management positions, including SVP Global Operations for Le Méridien, VP Area Director for Starwood Hotels & Resorts, and General Manager of several flagship Starwood properties such as the Sheraton Park Tower Knightsbridge and the Sheraton Grand Hotel Edinburgh. Following the acquisition of Le Méridien in 2005, Mr. Wale led the successful integration of 130 Le Méridien hotels worldwide into Starwood’s portfolio. Passionate about the development of leadership talent, he also created Vita Futura, an innovative graduate training program which began in the EAME region and has helped to shape the careers of many leaders throughout Starwood.