Starwood Hotels & Resorts plans to expand the footprint of its midscale Four Points by Sheraton brand into second tier cities in India.
The group has signed three new hotels in Bhopal, Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala.
"India today is still an ‘under-hoteled’ market, and the demand for high-calibre lodging is expected to far exceed current supply for at least the next three to five years," said Dilip Puri, managing director, India for Starwood.
"As domestic travel increases and Indian travellers continue to demand more sophistication in terms of both quality and experience, we have significant opportunity to grow our brands across the spectrum in gateway cities and tertiary markets as well as in resort destinations."
Starwood currently operates nine Four Points hotels in India, in more established markets such as Agra, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Pune, Mumbai and New Delhi.
In addition there are seven more properties in the development pipeline.
"Tier two markets provide untapped growth opportunities for us, particularly for our Four Points brand. As the urban Indian landscape continues to evolve, demand will come from new markets and leisure destinations," said Sudeep Jain, Starwood’s vice president of acquisitions and development for South Asia.
