Hoyt H. Harper II doesn't pull any punches when asked about Sheraton's goals: “The growth plan is to put a new or newly renovated Sheraton in a market where a Marriott exists and outperform them.”

The Sheraton Group's senior vice president of brand management has four billion reasons to be blunt, even brash. Starwood is over halfway through a three-year plan to revitalize its largest, most global and maybe most forgotten brand. By the end of next year, Sheraton will see $2.3 billion invested in new hotels, $1.3 billion in renovations and $400 million in brand initiatives.

Sheraton — with more than 400 properties and counting in 71 countries — wants its North American portfolio to catch up to the brand's global reputation.

“Sheraton is ranked first or second everywhere in the world except in North America,” Harper says. “Starwood started Westin, created aloft, repositioned Four Points by Sheraton. It was time to address our most global brand.”

Thirty-five detractor hotels have been identified to leave the system, Harper says, while simultaneously, the brand is adding hotels at an amazing clip: A new Sheraton opens somewhere in the world every three weeks.

The biggest debut was earlier this month with the Sheraton Phoenix and its 1,000 rooms and 85,000 square feet of meeting space. “It's game-changing for the city of Phoenix,” Harper says. “We want all our hotels to be the anchor tenant and logical gathering place for the most important events in those communities.”

The Sheraton Dallas, Sheraton Denver — both former Adam's Mark hotels — and the Sheraton Seattle fit the description. The hotel in Dallas has 1,842 guestrooms and 230,000 square feet of meeting space, while the Denver location is the largest hotel in Colorado with 1,225 guestrooms and 130,000 square feet of meeting space. The Seattle hotel, after a $130-million expansion, has a new 420-room tower to bring the room count to 1,258.

D.B. Kim, Sheraton's vice president of design who earlier helped launch Westin, is at the forefront of the new look. One of three templates — classic, simple or casual — will be used in renovating more than 50,000 guestrooms. The flexible designs also include a refurbished bathroom, new bedding (Sheraton Sweet Sleeper), a built-in flat-screen TV showcasing new in-room entertainment (Scene@Sheraton) and a new line of bath amenities (Shine by Bliss).

The new “Link @ Sheraton” lobby has added “experienced with Microsoft” to its name after a partnership with the technology company. The Link provides a place for guests to connect — physically and virtually — with other guests or far-away friends and family. The lobby features free Wi-Fi and Internet-ready computers; some even have webcams for more personalized long-distance communication. A large communal table anchors the public space, which also offers the usual access to TVs and newspapers. The Link Café offers f&b that changes throughout the day. A new state-of-the-art fitness center was created in a partnership with Core Performance, an organization that trains elite athletes.

All North American Sheratons will have the new Link lobby, fitness center and renovated guestrooms by next year, Harper vows.

“At the end of this work, we want to join Westin as an elite brand in the upper-upscale segment, outperforming Hilton and Marriott,” he says.