Newstrack

Starwood’s Element in Indian budget hotel segment

Bhisham Mansukhani - Mumbai

International hospitality brand Starwood could well be lining up its most recent extended-stay hotel brand to add to its considerable arsenal in the Indian market which includes five-star giants like Sheraton and Le Meridien. Element is incidentally Starwood's first-ever foray into the long-stay budget hotel segment that was launched in September 2006. Express Hospitality had earlier reported Starwood's plans of introducing its budget hotel brand Aloft in the Indian market. Element will mark its second brand in this booming segment.

Element is a brand extension of Westin Hotels & Resorts. The brand, according to Starwood, is aimed at creating convenience and comfort for guests who are perpetually living out of a suitcase. Alison Taylor, vice president (sales) at Starwood Hotels & Resorts told Express Hospitality that Starwood could potentially tap India's long-stay budget segment with Element, but developer interest would primarily drive the prospect of its Indian debut. She however emphasised that the signs were promising and that Starwood could well meet its objective of having all its brands operating in India across many regional markets.

Starwood's CEO, Steven J Heyer had said during Element's global launch earlier this year, "With Westin, we recreated the upper-upscale segment in the hotel industry. Strategically, it fits into this mould; it is about creating a new category from ground up." One million Starwood guests have stayed in an extended-stay hotel in the last year, enough to support over 150 Element hotels nationwide. Starwood anticipates that there will be 500 Element hotels worldwide, the first of which is due to open in Massachusetts, USA, by 2008.