Starwood global HQ heading to India
Next year Starwood Hotels CEO and executive team will conduct a month-long ‘residency’ in India, relocating its global headquarters to Mumbai and Delhi throughout March 2015.
The Connecticut-based hotel giant, which features nine brands including St. Regis, Sheraton and Westin, will split top executives between Mumbai and Delhi and hope to spur more deals in the South Asia region.
Starwood has had a presence in the sub-continent since 1973 and currently operates 40 hotels in India with 36 more in development.
In a statement Starwood said it is on course to reach a target of 100 hotels under operation or development in the South Asia region by 2016.
Overall demand for hotels in India is growing and evolving as the domestic economy expands and international visitation increases," said Simon Turner, Starwood president of global development.
India is one of the world’s fastest growing outbound travel markets, which is expected to surpass 50 million international travelers by 2020.
"This is a particularly exciting time for us to relocate to India and its renewed focus on travel infrastructure is much needed, as travel demand is fueled by economic growth and a population expected to overtake China by 2030," said Starwood CEO Fritz van Paasschen.
The global HQ relocation to India follows similar moves in 2011 to China and 2013 to Dubai.
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