Starwood was being shopped aggressively for over 6 months, and Marriott wound up the high bidder in the eyes of the Starwood board. There was likely interest from foreign purchasers. Definite interest from Hyatt. Possible interest from IHG and Wyndham.
On the one hand, when the Marriott acquisition was announced, it seemed like they were buying Starwood on the cheap. Surely Anbang is overpaying. As a consumer I think that’s great. And it’s funny in a way, turning political narratives on their heads, for consumers to be excited by a large asset purchase by a Chinese company. They ride in as white knights.