Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. on Tuesday announced the opening of two hotels in Ahmedabad, simultaneously, under different brands, and said the multinational hospitality major is looking at Tier II and III towns and cities across India for expansion.

While its new 5-Star hotel, Aloft, is Starwood’s fifth in India under this brand, the other one, Four Points By Sheraton, is a conversion from an existing hotel and will be the Group’s first one to be managed under this brand in India, said Brian McGuinness, Senior Vice-President, Specialty Select Brands, Starwood.

Aloft Ahmedabad, set up with an investment of Rs 120 crore, has 176 rooms. Globally, the Aloft brand has 60 hotels in 10 countries. In 2012, seven Aloft hotels were opened worldwide – five of them in India – while 18 are set to open in 2013. Four Points by Sheraton Ahmedabad has 104 rooms. Globally, this brand has 170 hotels in 30 countries, including four in India.

Under the Four Points by Sheraton brand, the company is looking at opening more hotels in Gujarat towns like Rajkot, Jamnagar, Vadodara, Surat and Dahej.

“We are also looking at state capitals, hill stations and other places of tourist importance for our expansion,” said Dilip Puri, Managing Director India and Regional Vice President, South Asia, Starwood Asia Pacific Hotels and Resorts.

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