Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide will relocate its global headquarters from the United States to India in March 2015 for a month-long immersion. Starwood President and CEO Frits van Paasschen and the company’s top executives will split their time between Mumbai and Delhi, conducting day-to-day business. The move follows the company’s relocations to China in 2011 and Dubai in 2013.
India has a renewed focus on travel infrastructure, as travel demand is fueled by economic growth and a population expected to overtake China by 2030. Millions of people are joining its middle class every year, which means millions of new travelers, van Paasschen added. “Our extended time there will allow us to immerse ourselves and appreciate new approaches to the business of hospitality.”
Over the course of the relocation, Starwood executives from around the globe will conduct business in India, nearly 8,000 miles and 10 time zones away from the company’s Stamford, Conn., headquarters. During the month, the team will travel to cities throughout India to meet with associates, customers, owners, and prospective developers, including Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Hyderabad, and Kochi, and also throughout South Asia to Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Maldives. “With South Asia as our home base, we’ll be within a five-hour flight from nearly 40 percent of our global pipeline for new hotels,” van Paasschen said.
Starwood’s legacy in India dates back to 1973 with the debut of its Sheraton brand in Mumbai. Starwood currently operates 40 hotels in India with another 36 hotels under development. Across South Asia, Starwood remains on track to reach its goal of 100 hotels under operation or development in the region by 2016.
