Starwood Hotels & Resorts has plans to expand its hotel portfolio in Mexico by 30 per cent and its luxury portfolio by 50 per cent over the next three years to meet increasing demand.

The group currently has eight luxury hotels in Mexico, more than in any other Latin American market between its St. Regis, W and The Luxury Collection brands.

There are eight new luxury hotels in its development pipeline that will add nearly 1,100 rooms.

Hotels under development include: W Santa Fe; W Retreat Kanai Riviera Maya; The St. Regis Kanai Riviera Maya; and Frida Kahlo Guadalajara, A Luxury Collection hotel in Guadalajara.

In the next three years, Starwood will also open four specialty-select brand hotels, including two new Aloft hotels in Merida, Guadalajara and two Four Points by Sheraton hotels in Queretaro and Cancun

Osvaldo Librizzi, Co-president Starwood Hotels & Resorts Americas said: “Mexico will continue to be a focal point of our expansion strategy in Latin America where we are on track to have 100 hotels in operation and development by the end of 2013.”

Mexico is Starwood’s largest market in Latin America with 24 hotels and a total of 4,800 rooms, representing eight of the company’s nine brands including the recently launched Aloft brand, which made its debut in Cancun.

Frits van Paasschen, CEO, Starwood Hotels & Resorts said: “We are seeing strong demand for new hotel development across all of our brands and have the largest pipeline we have had in the country since before the global economic crisis.”