Starwood Hotels & Resorts is bringing the St. Regis brand to the Maldives with the St. Regis Vommuli Resort, set to open in 2016.

Starwood has signed an agreement with Residency Resorts Malé Private Limited, part of the Chennai-based property developer, Appaswamy Group to open the St. Regis brand on the private Vommuli Island in the Dhaalu Atoll.

“This incredible addition to the St. Regis portfolio has been conceived in perfect harmony with the island’s lush vegetation and pristine lagoon,” said Jim Petrus, global brand leader for St. Regis Hotels & Resorts.

A spa with six treatment rooms is planned, and the resort will also include an infinity swimming pool, fitness centre and yoga space, a dive and activity centre, three restaurants and a signature bar.

A 40-minute seaplane ride southwest from the capital city Malé, The St. Regis Vommuli Resort will be located on a 20-acre private atoll and will feature 77 private villas with a contemporary design scheme inspired by the island’s natural materials and colour palette.

Ravi Appasamy, managing director of Residency Resorts Malé Private Limited, described the hotel as “marrying the bespoke service of the St. Regis brand with the ‘barefoot luxury’ mentality of the Maldives.”

This announcement follows on the heels of the recent opening of the St. Regis Nikolskaya in Moscow and the signing of The St. Regis Mumbai, which is scheduled to open before the end of the year. Starwood currently operates 48 hotels in South Asia, with an additional 48 hotels in the pipeline, 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 – all due to open in the region within the next two years.