WICHITA, KS—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., based in Stamford, Conn., plans to open a new 50,000-sq.-ft. customer contact center here later this year.
The company would reportedly move into the former Wichita Mall property, which was turned into the shared office location Office This by Max Cole in 2007. Cole announced last month that he was ending his company and that a new tenant would take the property.
The deal is dependent upon a package of incentives from the state, the Wichita City Council and Sedgwick County Commission, in return for bringing jobs. Starwood said it anticipates hiring about 180 people this year. The local governing bodies are expected to vote on the project May 21 and 22.
“Taking care of our guests starts before our guests walk through our property doors, while they are with us and extends after they’ve departed,” said Mark Vondrasek, senior vice president - distribution, loyalty and partnership marketing for Starwood, in a statement. “With our guests’ needs in mind, we look for associates who are dedicated and customer-service oriented with a desire to contribute to their communities; after reviewing a number of options, Wichita was chosen as the best place to expand our North American customer service operations.”