W Hotels to debut in India
Published: 06/04/2011 - Filed under: News »
Starwood is to open its first W hotel in India, housed within the forthcoming Namaste Tower in Mumbai. The announcement is part of the group’s plans to have 100 hotels in India by 2015.
W Mumbai is scheduled to open in 2015, as part of the 55-storey mixed-use Namaste Tower development.
Few specific details have been released on the hotel itself, but the Namaste Tower will be located in the central Lower Parel district of the city, and is so called because its design resembles the Indian Namaste greeting of two hands clasped together.
Starwood says it is on track to operate 50 hotels in India by the end of 2012, and “expects” to have 100 properties in the country by 2015.
Among the hotels set to open this year are include Le Méridien Coimbatore in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, and the Sheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway, next to the World Trade Centre.
Frits van Paasschen, president and chief executive officer of Starwood Hotels and Resorts, said that India is second only to China is terms of future global growth.
“Given India's growing wealth, infrastructure demands and accelerating stature as a global business hub, our opportunity here is vast”, said van Paasschen. “India today is still an 'under-hoteled' market and the demand for high-caliber lodging is expected to far exceed current supply for the next three to four years.”
Starwood said that its mid-market Four Points by Sheraton and Aloft brands were driving growth in the country, with the latter set to double its Indian portfolio this year with new properties in Ahmedabad, Coimbatore and Chandigarh.
Membership of Starwood’s SPG loyalty programme has tripled in India in the last three years, with members now representing 40 per cent of guests at Starwood’s hotels in the country.
This week alone the Wyndham Hotel Group has announced seven new properties across India for its Ramada and Days Inn brands (see online news April 5), and Intercontinental Hotels Group says it will open the Crowne Plaza New Delhi Rohini later this year (see online news April 5).
IHG has also announced plans to develop 19 Holiday Inn Express hotels in India by 2016 (see online news April 6).
For more information visit starwoodhotels.com.
Report by Mark Caswell
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