If you're asking who owns Westin, here's the direct answer: Westin Hotels & Resorts is owned by Marriott International, a publicly traded US hospitality company (NASDAQ: MAR).
Marriott acquired the brand in 2016 as part of its $13.6 billion purchase of Starwood Hotels & Resorts the largest hotel merger in history at the time. Westin now operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary within Marriott's portfolio of more than 30 hotel brands.
Who Owns Westin: Brand Ownership vs. Property Ownership
This is where most people stop reading too early. Marriott owns the Westin brand the name, the trademark, the operating standards, the intellectual property. That's not the same as owning every hotel building that carries the Westin sign.
Most individual Westin properties are owned by separate real estate investors REITs, private equity firms, family-held companies, or other institutional owners. Those investors work with Marriott under one of two arrangements: a management agreement or a franchise agreement.
Management Agreements
Under a management deal, Marriott runs the hotel on the property owner's behalf. Staffing decisions, service standards, day-to-day operations Marriott handles all of it. The building owner receives revenue but isn't involved in running the hotel.
Franchise Agreements
A franchise arrangement flips the operational responsibility. The property owner manages their own hotel but pays Marriott a fee to use the Westin brand, standards, and loyalty program access. According to publicly available franchise disclosures, Westin franchise owners pay a royalty of approximately 7% of monthly gross room sales and around 3% of gross food and beverage sales.
What this means in practice: when a Westin property changes hands say, a REIT sells a hotel to a private equity firm that transaction has no effect on who owns the Westin brand. Marriott's brand ownership sits entirely separate from individual property ownership.
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The Full Ownership History of Westin
Westin didn't start as a Marriott brand. It has passed through several different owners over nearly a century, each shaping what the brand became.
1930 — Western Hotels Is Founded in Seattle
The brand's origins go back to the Great Depression. In 1930, two competing hotel owners Severt W. Thurston and Frank Dupar ran into each other at a coffee shop in Yakima, Washington.
They agreed to combine rather than compete. They brought in Peter and Adolph Schmidt, who ran five hotels in the Puget Sound area, and together the four formed Western Hotels, launching with 17 properties across Washington and Idaho.
1963–1981 — Western International Hotels, Then Westin
Growth through the 1950s and 1960s pushed the company into international territory. By 1963, the chain renamed itself Western International Hotels. It went public on the American Stock Exchange in the mid-1960s.
In 1970, Western International merged with United Airlines remaining autonomous, but now under UAL's umbrella. By 1981, the name shortened to Westin Hotels, a combination of "western" and "international."
1987–1988 — The Allegis Experiment and the Aoki Sale
UAL chairman Richard Ferris had an ambitious idea in 1987: bundle United Airlines, Hertz Rent a Car, Hilton International, and Westin into a single travel conglomerate called Allegis.
Shareholders weren't convinced. The plan failed within a year. Westin was sold off to Japan's Aoki Corporation in 1988 for $1.35 billion.
1994–1998 — Starwood Capital Group Acquires Westin
Aoki struggled financially and put Westin on the market in 1994. Starwood Capital Group and Goldman Sachs bought it for approximately $537 million well below what Aoki had paid six years earlier. Starwood Capital assumed full ownership by 1998, and the brand moved into the Starwood Hotels & Resorts corporate structure.
2016 — Marriott Acquires Starwood and Takes Ownership of Westin
Marriott's purchase of Starwood Hotels & Resorts in 2016 for approximately $13.6 billion is what brought Westin under Marriott's roof. The deal added Westin, Sheraton, W Hotels, St. Regis, and The Luxury Collection to Marriott's portfolio. Post-merger, Marriott became the world's largest hotel company by room count.
Westin kept its identity after the merger. Its wellness positioning and brand standards remained intact. The major shift was operational — better distribution infrastructure, stronger technology systems, and integration into Marriott's loyalty ecosystem.
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Where Westin Sits in Marriott's Portfolio Today
Marriott groups its brands by tier. Westin sits in the upper-upscale, full-service category alongside Sheraton and Renaissance, and below the luxury tier which includes Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, and JW Marriott.
As of 2023–2024 public data, roughly 220–230 Westin properties are open globally across close to 40 countries and territories. About 60% of locations are in the United States, and roughly half of all properties run under franchise agreements rather than direct Marriott management.
Westin and the Marriott Bonvoy Loyalty Program
Before the merger, Starwood ran Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) a loyalty program with a dedicated following. After the acquisition, SPG was folded into Marriott Bonvoy, a combined program covering all 30+ Marriott brands. Westin properties participate fully in Bonvoy: stays earn and redeem points within the same system as Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, and every other Marriott-family brand.
Conclusion
Who owns Westin? Marriott International through its 2016 acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Marriott controls the brand; separate real estate investors own most of the physical hotels. Westin's path to Marriott runs from a Depression-era Seattle cooperative through UAL, Aoki Corporation, and Starwood nearly a century of ownership changes that ended with the world's largest hotel company.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Marriott own every Westin hotel building?
No. Marriott owns the Westin brand. Individual properties are typically owned by third-party real estate investors who either franchise the name or hire Marriott to manage operations on their behalf.
Did Marriott found Westin?
No. Westin was founded in 1930 in Seattle as Western Hotels. Marriott acquired it indirectly in 2016 through its Starwood purchase.
Who owned Westin before Marriott?
Starwood Hotels & Resorts held the brand before Marriott. Prior to that, Starwood Capital Group and Goldman Sachs acquired it from Japan's Aoki Corporation in the mid-1990s.
Is Westin part of Marriott Bonvoy?
Yes. All Westin stays count toward Marriott Bonvoy points and status alongside every other Marriott brand.
Is Westin a franchise or a Marriott-managed brand?
Both structures exist. Some properties are managed directly by Marriott; others are independently operated under a franchise agreement with Marriott.
