Starwood Accepts Anbang's Bid for Acquisition

A week ago, most Americans had never heard of an insurance company called Anbang — now the Chinese firm could very well be the next owner of Starwood Hotels.

According to CNBC, Starwood has accepted Anbang's bid of $78 per share, or a total of $13.2 billion (which is a hair higher than Anbang's initial bid of $76 per share). The CNBC article states that "Hotel operator Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide will be acquired by Chinese insurer Anbang," but it's not quite as simple as that.

Marriott now has five days to respond with a higher bid, in which case a bidding war will likely begin, giving both companies an opportunity to compete for Starwood and its beloved SPG program. According to CNBC's sources, Marriott does plan to make a counter-bid, so saying that Anbang will acquire Starwood definitively seems a bit premature.

Investors are indeed expecting a bidding war — Starwood's share price has now climbed above the Anbang offer price to over $80 per share in pre-market trading, and it could jump beyond that throughout the day. Of course, it's still unclear what this news means for Starwood Preferred Guest and your Starpoints — stay tuned!

Which company do you want to acquire Starwood?

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