New Delhi, April 11: US-based Starwood Hotels and Resorts, owners of brands like Sheraton, Four Points and Luxury Collection, plans to invest Rs 750 crore to jointly develop three properties with Vatika Hospitality and introduce the Westin brand in India.

Vatika Hospitality, a subsidiary of the Vatika group, will manage three new Westin properties in Bangalore, Gurgaon and Sohna (near Delhi).

Westin Resort, Sohna, scheduled to be launched in December, will be spread across a 35 acre site with 100 rooms, 36 one and two bedroom villas and 12,400 sq ft for a health and spa centre.

The Gurgaon venture will come up by 2007, said Gaurav Bhalla, executive director, Vatika group.

Westin Hotel, Bangalore, will open in 2009 and have 300 rooms, five dining outlets, 20,000 square feet of banquet space and about 10,000 sq ft for a health and spa centre and retail outlets.

With this, the total number of properties owned by Starwood in India will go up to 21, including brands like Sheraton and Le Meridien.

Talking about the venture, Miguel Ko, Starwood Hotels president for the Asia-Pacific region, said “There are definitely tremendous growth opportunities for us in the gateway cities and the relatively underdeveloped resort market.”

Citing recent research, Ko said India is the fastest growing market for international tourist spending in the Asia-Pacific region, which has swelled 25 per cent in the last quarter of 2005. This growth is expected to accelerate in the next few years.

The global hospitality chain is targeting 50 star hotels in India by 2010.

Later, the group also plans to introduce other brands like W Hotel and St Regis across metros, secondary and tertiary cities in the country.

In India, Starwood is currently in the process of integrating its newly acquired brand, Le Meridien. The group will expand this chain to 15 from the present eight by 2010.