When Marriott International swooped in last November to trump a smaller rival’s offer for Starwood Hotels and Resorts, the last-minute upset was set to create the world’s largest hotel company by rooms.
去年11月，万豪国际(Marriott International)发动奇袭，一举打败另一个规模较小的竞争对手，与喜达屋酒店及度假村集团(Starwood Hotels & Resorts)达成收购协议。这最后一刻的翻盘在当时看将会创造以客房数量计全球最大的酒店企业。
But if a group led by Chinese insurer Anbang has its way, those plans will not only unravel but also establish a new challenger in the global lodging industry with ambitions to grow rapidly through acquisitions.
但如果中国保险集团安邦(Anbang)领衔的财团获得成功，不仅会瓦解万豪的上述计划，还将在全球酒店业确立一个新的挑战者，而其抱负是通过收购实现快速增长。
On Monday, Starwood revealed it had begun talks with an unnamed group — later confirmed as a consortium led by Anbang — that has offered almost $13bn for the owner of the Sheraton, W Hotels and St Regis chains.
周一，喜达屋宣布已与一个匿名财团展开谈判，随后证实是安邦牵头的财团。该财团向这家拥有喜来登(Sheraton)、W酒店(W Hotels)、瑞吉(St Regis)等品牌的酒店业巨头发出了近130亿美元的收购要约。
The all-cash bid from the Chinese group is worth $76 a share, Starwood said, adding that it remained committed to its already agreed deal with Marriott. However, the US company noted the value of Marriott’s cash-and-stock offer had fallen to $63.74, driven by a decline in that company’s stock price since November.
喜达屋表示，中国财团的全现金报价相当于每股76美元，该公司同时表示仍致力于此前与万豪已商定的协议。但这家美国公司指出，受去年11月以来万豪股价下跌影响，万豪提出的现金加股票的报价价值已下降到每股63.74美元。
For Anbang, which started as a regional car insurance business in China 12 years ago, a Starwood takeover would be the climax of a rapid transformation into a diversified investment group. Over the past 18 months, Anbang has spent more than $23bn — without counting its offer for Starwood — to accumulate a sprawling list of global assets that span financial services, real estate and lodging.
12年前从一家中国地区性汽车保险公司起步的安邦，如果能够成功收购喜达屋，其向多元化投资集团的快速转型将达到高潮。过去一年半里，不含对喜达屋的报价，安邦已投入逾230亿美元，积攒了一张横跨金融服务、房地产和酒店业的庞杂的全球资产名单。