Image: Westin is to expand its signature spa portfolio

Westin Hotels and Resorts has unveiled plans to continue with the international expansion of its signature spa brand in order to meet increasing demand for luxury services.

The operator - owned by Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide - is planning to launch 13 new Heavenly Spas by 2014, with all but two located outside the US.

Among the new Heavenly Spa locations are the Westin Lagunamar, Mexico; India's Westin Chennai Velachery; and Westin Xiamen, Westin Changbaishan and Westin Wenzhou - all three of which are in China.

Heavenly Spas by Westin are based upon two of the brand's key philosophies – preserving wellness on the road and helping guests to leave feeling better than when they arrived.

Jeremy McCarthy, director of global spa development and operations for Starwood, said: "There is a growing demand for spa and wellness services in key global emerging markets such as Asia.

"Westin's Heavenly Spa concept fulfils that demand and provides signature sensory experiences aimed at mind-body wellness and revitalisation."

Brian Povinelli, global brand leader for Westin Hotels, added: "The global expansion of our Heavenly Spa brand underscores the strong appeal of our distinctive positioning around wellbeing."

To read more from Jeremy McCarthy about Starwood's in-house concepts and strategy for worldwide expansion, see Spa Business 2010 Issue 3, p24

To read more about Starwood's Iridium Spa brand, the in-house concept for St Regis hotels, see Spa Business 2011 Issue 1, p56

To read the current issue of Spa Business, visit: www.spabusiness.com/magazine

Details: www.starwoodhotels.com