Starwood Hotels & Resorts Inc. will foray into Maldives with the opening of The St. Regis Vommuli Resort to expand its footprint in South Asia.

　　In an attempt to expand its footprint in South Asia, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Inc. will foray into Maldives with the opening of The St. Regis Vommuli Resort under its brand St. Regis. Scheduled for a 2016 opening, the hotel will be jointly developed by Starwood and Residency Resorts Malé Private Limited, part of Chennai-based leading property developer, Appaswamy Group.

　　Located in a private atoll, the hotel will feature 77 private villas, a spa with six private treatment rooms, an infinity swimming pool, fitness center and yoga space as well as a dive and activity center. The guests at the hotel can also enjoy an all-day dining restaurant, three specialty restaurants and a signature bar. The 20-acre luxury hotel is only a 40-minute southward seaplane ride from the Republic's capital city, Malé. The location and amenities are likely to attract both business as well as leisure travelers.

　　Starwood is striving to capitalize on the improving economic prospects and supply shortages in the emerging markets and expand the St. Regis brand.

　　This announcement closely follows Starwood's decision to debut the St. Regis brand in Mumbai, India. On Jun 4, 2015, Starwood announced that it will open St. Regis Mumbai in third-quarter fiscal 2015.

　　Starwood operates 48 hotels worldwide with 48 more in the pipeline. The company is set to debut more hotels across the South Asian region over the next two years, including W Goa Retreat & Spa and Le Méridien Nagpur in India; Le Méridien Paro in Bhutan; Le Méridien and Sheraton in Dhaka, Bangladesh and Sheraton in Colombo, Sri Lanka.