Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. said it plans to open nearly 20 additional hotels in the fast-growing market of India by 2015. The company currently operates 33 hotels in India and claims to be the largest international hotel operator of four- and five-star hotels in India. Since 2009, Starwood said it has opened nearly as many hotels in India as rivals Hyatt, Hilton and Marriott combined.
In 2012, Starwood will continue its growth momentum from the luxury to mid-market tiers with the opening of ITC Grand Chola, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Chennai, Westin Chennai Velachery, ITC Rajputana, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Jaipur and two Aloft hotels. With the opening of the ITC Grand Chola Rajputana, the Luxury Collection brand will have nine hotels in India, making it the brand’s second largest market behind only the U.S.
“Starwood continues to widen our long-standing lead in India, which is second only to China in terms of our future global growth,” said Vasant Prabhu, Starwood’s vice chairman and CFO. “India’s breathtaking economic growth and the rise of its middle class have generated a keen appetite for high-caliber global brands. We expect to accelerate the expansion of all of our brands across India, where demand for new hotels is expected to far exceed supply for the next three years.”
In just four years, Starwood said it has grown its worldwide luxury room count by 73 percent, fueled by the popularity of its high-end brands W, St. Regis and the Luxury Collection in diverse global markets. The W brand will arrive in India in 2015 with the opening of the W Mumbai and the W Retreat & Spa Goa, which will be followed by the opening of W Noida, Delhi NCR in 2016. St. Regis will make its entry into India with the opening of The St. Regis Noida, Delhi NCR in 2016. With the debut of the W and St. Regis brands, Starwood will feature eight of its nine brand flags in India including W, St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, Le Méridien, Westin, Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton and Aloft.
Driving growth in India is the increase in the number Starwood Aloft and Four Points by Sheraton brands. Aloft recently doubled its footprint in India with the opening of Aloft Coimbatore and will continue its rapid growth with new hotels opening in Ahmedabad and Chandigarh. Four Points by Sheraton benefits from the halo effect of the powerful Sheraton brand and its long legacy in India, and will add two new hotels in the next two years.
Reiterating its commitment to the region and to support the aggressive expansion plans of Starwood in the region, Starwood has relocated to a new state-of-the-art office in Gurgaon. Starwood has had a regional office in Gurgaon for over six years but it was no longer larger enough given the rapid expansion in the region. The new office at Vatika Business Park on Sohna Road houses a vibrant workspace for over 60 associates who actively work towards supporting Starwood’s growth strategy in the region.
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