Ernest Henderson
Robert Moore
Industry: Hospitality
History:
The Sheraton’s origins date back to 1937 when founders Ernest Henderson and Robert Moore bought their first hotel. Their ultimate goal, to create a chain of hotels with a consistent standard of service, began with the purchase of the Stonehaven Hotel in Springfield, Massachusetts.
In the 1940s, the partners began buying up fledgling hotels throughout the Boston area. They eventually moved on to the New York, Philadelphia and New England territories. The Sheraton name was retained after one of the hotels, which was already named Sheraton, had a sign that was just too expensive to take down. Instead, Henderson and Moore decided to name all of their hotels Sheraton and add signage to those hotels. Their accelerated expansion continued until they had properties running in every area along the East coast.
By 1945 the Sheraton was one of the most relied-upon brands in the country. In the same year, it became the first hotel to be listed in the New York Stock Exchange.
1949 marked the Sheraton’s expansion into the international scene with the acquisition of two Canadian hotels. In the 60s, the company expanded outside Canada and the United States, opening in the Middle East and Latin America. By 1965, the 100th Sheraton opened its doors.
The multinational conglomerate ITT purchased the chain in 1968, thereafter adopting the label ITT Sheraton.
The ITT Sheraton reached another milestone in 1985 with the opening of the Great Wall Sheraton. With that, it made history as it became the first Western company to conduct business in the People’s Republic of China.
In April of 1995, Sheraton introduced Four Points by Sheraton Hotels. Four Points offers a mid-level lodging experience. It was designed to replace the designation of several of the company’s hotels as Sheraton Inns. In 1998, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. bought ITT Sheraton.
At present, Sheraton is one of the largest and most known hotel chains in the world. Sheraton hotels can be found in over 100 countries, and on every continent other than Antarctica.
Leadership:
Joseph Gelchion, SVP Owner Relations, North America, Starwood Hotels
Upscale & Luxury Hotels, SVP Marketing