ITC renews 40-year partnership with Starwood Hotels

The contract is under Sheraton brand

ITC, the cigarettes to hospitality major, said on Thursday it had renewed a 40-year partnership with Starwood Hotels & Resorts for 11 luxury hotels and another under the Sheraton brand, while agreements had been signed to extend the collaboration for three other upcoming luxury hotels.

The latter three —  ITC Kohinoor in Hyderabad, ITC Narmada in Ahmedabad and ITC  Royal  Bengal in Kolkata – are to be completed in the next four years and take the inventory count to 15. “Starwood is experiencing strong  growth momentum in India with signings of new hotels in the past 12 months, representing nearly 30 per cent of our current operating footprint in the country,” said Thomas Mangas, chief executive officer at  Starwood  Hotels  & Resorts Worldwide.  

The ITC-Starwood partnership came into being in 1979, with the launch of the Sheraton brand. In 2007, the two companies signed an agreement through which Starwood introduced The Luxury Collection brand in India, presently accounting for 11 hotels. Originated in 1906 under CIGA Hotels under the brand as a collection of Europe’s most iconic  properties, Luxury Collection represents a portal of the destination’s indigenous charms and treasures.

The brand is set to exceed 100 of what it describes as “the world’s finest hotels and resorts” in over 30 countries by early 2016.