Starwood eyes small towns, plans 100 hotels by 2015

Leading global hotels and leisure company Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide today said it was targeting a portfolio of 100 properties in the country by 2015 and the main focus will be on smaller cities for its business hotel brands, ‘Four Points’ and ‘Aloft’.

“India has tremendous potential for growth and we have a very strong pipeline for all our brands. We are looking at expanding our ‘Four Points’ and ‘Aloft’ brands, targeted at business travellers mostly in Tier-II and III cities,” Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Managing Director for India and Regional Vice-President (South Asia) Dilip Puri said. The company is bullish about the country and expects India to become its third-largest market after the US and China by next year. 

“India is currently our fourth-largest market globally. However, looking at the accelerating growth rate, we expect the country to overtake Canada to become our third-largest market by next year,” Puri said. Starwood globally has nine brands, of which six are already in the country. The group has brands like Westin, Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, St Regis, Le Meridien, Aloft and Element by Westin.

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The group will be launching two more brands – W Hotels and St Regis – in the country by 2015.

“We have already signed deals for developing three W Hotels and one of our premium brands, St Regis, which will be operational by 2015 in New Delhi,” he said**.**

PTI